


The Past is The Present And The Future Is New

by afteriwake



Series: And Now I'm Learning You [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 03:52:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2009940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Molly Hooper never expected to find out that her good friends Rory and Amelia Williams had traveled through time and space. She also hadn't expected for a man who looks exactly like Sherlock Holmes to end up pulled from an alternate universe and unceremoniously dropped in her bedroom the same night. She definitely hadn't expected Khan Noonien Singh to take up residence in her home for an extended period of time. She certainly hadn't expected the dangers associated with having a Sherlock doppelganger in her life while Sherlock was off trying to dismantle a criminal network. But most of all she had never once expected to fall for her unexpected houseguest. Funny how life works out sometimes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was originally my entry for the ever wonderful **scifibigbang** at Livejournal but things happened with the mod and the posting date was going to be pushed back, and with my own net issues I didn't know if I'd be able to post so I dropped out. So you guys get it and a few other stories in this series early. Dedicated to my friend Viki, who inspired me to write this ship because we play Khan and Molly in a roleplay game and we both like the idea of them as a couple. Set prior to "Star Trek Into Darkness" for Star Trek, between "The Reichenbach Fall" and "The Empty Hearse" for Sherlock and after "Dinosaurs On A Spaceship" for Doctor Who.

**London, England: 2174.13**

Four weeks. Khan Noonien Singh had been awake for four weeks and he had been pressed into slavery under the pseudonym John Harrison for three and a half of them. He loathed Admiral Marcus with a passion he had not known before. Every minute he was not designing weaponry or devising battle plans for the battles Marcus hoped to fight he was plotting his revenge, plotting how to get his freedom, how to save his crew as best he could. The plotting gave him something to focus his rage on. But it often wasn't enough.

He was a virtual prisoner. Oh, he was allowed out at times, for appearances sake, but he knew those few times out among the world were closely monitored by people who would just love for him to take a step out of line. There were days he refused to leave, instead spending what little leisure time he was given checking in on the other people hard at work bringing Marcus's vision of a militarized Starfleet to life. Those people were misguided. No matter how good Starfleet's weapons were the alien races they would be fighting against had had a very long time to perfect their weapons and ships. It was to the Earth's detriment that they had focused on exploration rather than conquering, and now he had been brought in to hurry them along in great plodding steps. He loathed the entire business of it.

Today was another day he refused to leave the underground facility at the Kelvin library. When he was there everyone gave him space. It was almost as though people were afraid of him. Good. He was glad for that. One day, and one day soon, he was going to make every single person in Starfleet regret waking him up. He had checked in on everyone who was busy working and was now bored to tears. He had the highest level clearance in the entire building, aside from Marcus himself, and yet there seemed to be one area he didn't have access to. He'd decided he wanted to go in there, see what was so special that no one was allowed to see it, not even him. He had threatened a computer technician of giving him the needed clearance for it, and he was going to use it today.

He took his thumb and pressed it to the pad on the door. For a moment it didn't open, and he found himself getting irritated with the technician but then the door slid open and he found himself in a darkened room. His one vice, mostly because he knew it wouldn't do any damage due to his genetic modifications, was that he smoked. The great grand majority of people on this Earth didn't, apparently, but if pressed hard enough cigarettes could be found. As such, he always had a lighter on him. He dug it out of his pocket and flicked it on. The weak flame didn't give much light to the room, but he surmised it wasn't very big.

He made his way in more as the door slid shut behind him. It was nearly pitch black in there now, but he had never been the type to be afraid of the dark. He moved forward and then paused. There was something in this room. Something had moved in the darkness. He felt the tip of his thumb begin to burn slightly from holding the lighter on too long. He let the flame die out and then he heard whatever was in the room with him move again. He flicked the lighter on again and found himself face to face with a hideous angel statue. And then it simply wasn't there. And, he realized as he looked around and saw that there was suddenly light, neither was he.

**London, England: -310249.19**

It had been a very long day, Molly Hooper realized, but at least tonight she would have company, which made for a nice change of having dinner alone. She had invited over a friend from work and his wife. They were due any minute, and she wanted everything to look just perfect. It wasn't as though they hadn't been at her home before, but still. It wasn't every day she got to play hostess to friends, especially friends as interesting as Rory and Amelia Williams. Rory had been a bit hesitant to make friends at St. Bart's, but Molly had been patient, been warm and friendly any time their paths crossed. People whispered about him and his long absences and the fact he seemed so much older than his young years would suggest, but that was part of what fascinated Molly. Interesting people never seemed normal, never seemed boring and plain like she did. And she found she liked interesting people. After all, she had been fascinated by Sherlock Holmes, hadn't she?

And just like that, her good mood dimmed. He was gone, off doing something to keep them all safe. When he had asked for her help in faking his death she had given it, but he couldn't tell her why or who he was going to meet on that roof or any of that. When he'd fallen off the roof she'd been sure he was dead, even with her help, but he'd managed to stay in one piece with minimal injuries. She'd patched him up as best she could and when she went on the roof the next day she couldn't see any sign that something had gone amiss, something had caused Sherlock to have to fake his death. After he spent some time hiding out in her flat she'd sent him off to God knew where, hoping he'd stay safe. And then she'd let it go and tried her best move on with her life. It was the only thing she could do.

She shook her head as her doorbell rang. She checked dinner one last time and then made her way to the door. She pasted a smile on her face and then opened it. Amy was in front, a wide smile on her face, and Rory was behind her with a bottle of wine in his hand that he held up when he waved. “Molly!” Amy said, opening her arms to give Molly a hug.

“Amy,” Molly replied, the smile becoming more genuine. You couldn't be upset or sad around Amy. She just had a vibrancy about her, and an infectious good mood that cheered you up with little more than a smile. And her sense of adventure was contagious as well. “How was Barcelona?”

“Oh, it was fantastic. I have souvenirs for you,” Amy said as she hugged Molly. “And art. You said you had space in your sitting room, right?”

Molly nodded when she pulled away. “As long as it isn't giant, I do.” Molly and Amy had bonded over an appreciation of art, and any chance Amy got to give her friend a painting or a small sculpture she did. Molly had to admit it certainly made her home more interesting to be in, and she appreciated it. One day she hoped to travel the world and experience life the way Amy did, but for now the mementos from other countries were enough to sate her wanderlust. Amy moved out of the way and Rory came in, and she gave him a hug as well. “And it's lovely to see you too, Rory.”

“You just saw me yesterday,” he said with a slight chuckle.

“Still. You seem to be in a better mood today.”

“My wife is home and I'm not having to cook tonight, plus I get to enjoy good company,” he said with a grin when Molly pulled away. “And the food does smell delicious.”

“I tried something new,” she said as Rory handed her the bottle of wine. “Oh, this is supposed to be a lovely vintage.”

“I was always rather surprised you knew your wines,” Amy said.

“It was passed on from my father before he died. His grand dream was to open a vineyard and start making wines that would rival the best on the market. But he got sick before he could even attempt to do it.”

“Would you ever do it?” Rory asked.

“Possibly. But that was my father's dream, not mine. My own dream is to live an interesting life, and I can do that in a lot of small ways without leaving London. And then, later, maybe I'd travel.”

Rory looked over at Amy, who made a gesture with her hands. The two of them communicated to each other that way with Molly looking on for a few moments more when finally the stopped. “Molly, we need to tell you something. But it might be best if you open the wine and have a glass first,” Rory said.

“A very _large_ glass,” Amy said.

“Are you two divorcing?” Molly asked, her eyes wide.

“What? No,” Amy said, shocked. “No, we're blissfully happy. No, it's just...there's some things you should know about us that we don't share with anyone really. But we both quite like you and we want you to know.”

“Are you two asking me to join you in a three...” she asked, beginning to blush.

“She's thinking the worst,” Rory said.

“Then do it your way,” Amy replied with a sigh.

“We've traveled through time and space before. Many times,” he said matter-of-factly. “It's something we do fairly frequently. The times when I disappear from work? I'm traveling with a mad man in a box. And we thought it might be time for you to meet him. He seemed quite fascinated by you.”

She was stunned. Well, she was surprised, at any rate. It did seem a bit outlandish, but she knew Amy and Rory well. Neither of them were mental, and neither of them would lie to her. Finally, after a substantial pause, she spoke. “Why would a mad man be interested in me? Should I be worried?” she asked

“Oh, he's mostly harmless,” Amy said, smacking her husband's shoulder. “Like a giant toddler, actually. We don't travel with him as much, but sometimes. He'll be paying a visit in a month or so, we think. I'm rather hoping his wife is with him.”

“Well, you just want to see our daughter,” Rory told her.

“I know, I know,” she said with a sigh. “But I think if Molly met both of them they'd be so pleased. They would take to her so much.”

“So wait. You have a daughter? And she's his wife?” She asked. Both Amy and Rory nodded. “But...how?”

“Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff,” Amy said. She came over to Molly. “I do know it's a bit of a shock and I do rather wish we'd told you in a different way. But really, it's a sign we trust you very much. The only other person who knows the truth who spends any time with us is my father-in-law Brian.”

“I see,” Molly said slowly. “With this turn of events, I don't think the day can get any...” She trailed off as she heard a thud coming from upstairs. “Weirder,” she finished lamely.

“Did you have anyone else here?” Amy asked, her voice quiet.

“I thought I was alone!” she hissed back.

“We need to go up there and find out what's going on,” Rory said calmly as someone shouted a curse. “Do you have River's gun, Amy?”

“I always carry it in my purse,” she said, opening the bag on her shoulder up and digging through it. Finally she pulled up what looked like a small pistol, though Molly didn't recognize it at first because it wasn't a normal pistol. Amy handed it to Rory, who checked it. “All right. I'll take the lead. Amy, you go behind me and Molly, stay back. We'll find out what bloody idiots are up there and we'll convince them to go home. So let's go, and make sure you stay quiet.” He paused. “Especially you, Amy.”

“I love how I rate a special warning,” Amy said, rolling her eyes. “Well, let's get on with it before they realize that the chances they can jump out the window and survive the fall is better than the choice we're going to give them.” 

Rory nodded, and holding the gun in a way Molly could see meant he was trained in its use he made his way to the stairs of Molly's home. Amy had grabbed a rolling pin from the kitchen and Molly walked up empty handed. “What's in that room?” Rory asked, pointing to the door behind which the profanity sounded loudest.

“That's my bedroom!” Molly said, getting furious. She moved past Amy and Rory, much to their surprise, and threw open the door. There was a man in a black shirt and black slacks that was nearly the spitting image of Sherlock. He turned to look at her and she could immediately tell he wasn't, in fact, Sherlock, because he didn't seem to recognize her. “Excuse me!” Molly yelled out. “How the bloody hell did you get in my bedroom?”

“So this is your bedroom?” Khan said, surprised. 

“Yes, it is,” she said, crossing her arms. “So how did you get here? Were you trying to break in and steal my things? Or worse?”

“I doubt you would believe me if I told you,” he said.

“Try us,” Rory said, glaring at Khan.

“I was brought here by a moving angel statue.” Amy gasped, dropping the rolling pin on the floor and covering her mouth with her hands. Then she turned to Rory, who also looked surprised. Khan looked at them closely, narrowing his eyes. “You've encountered them before.”

“Yes,” Amy said with a nod.

“What are they?” Khan asked, moving closer. Rory stepped in front of his wife, looking quite dangerous.

“Weeping Angels,” she said quietly. “Some of the scariest aliens in the universe. I had hoped that when the Doctor rewrote the universe they would still be gone, they'd have still fallen into the crack. But they're back.” She pushed past her husband and Khan and went to the bed, sitting down. It was very obvious she was absolutely shocked.

“Why are they so dangerous?” Khan asked. “It didn't kill me. It just sent me...wherever I am now.”

“They can. They have. And they can do much worse,” she said, shutting her eyes. “Before my encounter with them my friend had an encounter with one. He got sent to the past. Other people did, too.”

Khan was quiet for a moment. “What is today's date?” he asked, turning to Molly.

“October 1st, 2012,” she said.

“And the time?” he asked.

She glanced at her watch. “Seven oh six PM.”

“And how many seconds?”

“Fifty-four. It's almost seven oh seven. Why do you want to know all this?”

Khan held up a hand and shut his eyes, thinking. “The Stardate is -310249.19,” he said as he opened them again. “I'm 313 years in the past.”

“You're from the future?” Molly asked.

He nodded slowly. “Not only that, but I appear to be from an alternate universe. If I was in my universe we would currently be embroiled in a war. I lived through it once before. If it was going on we would not be having this conversation. You would know who I was.”

“What's your name?” Molly asked Khan, her voice quiet.

He looked around for a moment, as though he was judging them to make a decision. Finally he spoke. “Khan Noonien Singh,” he said finally. “Why?”

“You look exactly like someone I know, minus the curly hair. And you sound like him, too.”

“As far as I know I was genetically modified, modeled after someone else.”

“Sherlock Holmes?” Molly said.

“I don't know. Is that who I remind you of?”

“Yes, very much.”

“Perhaps there are other similarities between our worlds,” Khan mused, more to himself and Molly than to the others.

“We can discuss this another time,” Rory said. “Right now there's a larger problem.”

“I don't know how there could be a larger problem than me being sent over three hundred years into the past in a completely different universe from my point of view,” Khan said. “All I would like to do now is fix that problem. I want to get back to where I'm from, and I want to do it quickly.”

“My understanding is anyone kidnapped by a Weeping Angel is stuck in the time they're sent to and have to live out their lives there,” Amy said, looking up at Khan. “I wouldn't be surprised if they have plans for you.” Then she looked at Rory. “We need to tell him, see if there's anything he can do to fix it.”

“Good luck getting him to answer before his visit,” Rory said. “You know how impossible he is to track down unless he pops up unexpectedly.”

She sighed. “I know.” 

“And just who are you talking about?” Khan asked, beginning to get irritated.

“Their friend,” Molly said soothingly. “I don't know his name, but he travels through time and space. If anyone could help it would be him.”

“He's called the Doctor,” Rory said. “And he probably could. And will. But tracking him down is damn near impossible.”

Amy moved her gaze from Rory to Khan again.. “I know you don't have much reason to trust us, but why don't you come downstairs and we can explain better over supper.” Then she paused and looked at Molly. “What did you make for supper?”

“A roast. It should be enough to feed all of us,” she said. “I'd only planned for three people, but I suppose I can make the meal stretch.”

“Khan, is it?” Rory asked. Khan nodded. “You might as well join us for supper. Amy can explain what she knows as we eat.”

He glanced at all three of the other people in the room. “Very well,” he said. Rory nodded towards the door, and Khan walked out first, followed by Rory, leaving Molly and Amy alone in Molly's room.

“This has been a very interesting evening,” Molly said after a moment.

“It _is_ a bit of a shock, and for that I'm sorry. We had hoped to break it to you much more gently than this,” Amy said as she stood up. “Though your guest was completely unexpected.”

“Well, I doubt you had counted on someone from the future popping up in my bedroom.” Molly looked over at Amy. “Once I know something like this, my life is never the same again, is it?”

“No, it's not.”

“Oh,” she said quietly.

“I'm sorry. That's probably not what you wanted to hear,” Amy said sympathetically.

“Actually, I'm kind of glad that's the case.” Amy blinked at her statement. “I wanted something exciting to happen to me. It can't get much more exciting than meeting people from the future in a parallel universe and finding out my friends traveled through time and space.”

“No, actually, it can. I don't know if it will for you, but trust me when I say it can, and it's not always pleasant.” Amy gave her a small grin. “But you're taking it well, at least. That's good.”

“Yeah.” She nodded towards her door. “We should probably head downstairs. I still have food to finish.”

“All right then,” she said with a nod, and then the two of them made their way down to Rory and Khan. Molly knew things were going to get vastly more complicated now, but she felt she was up for the challenge. Or, at least, she hoped she was.


	2. Chapter 2

The four of them stayed up talking for quite a long time, trying to piece everything together and figure something out, but as it neared midnight they realized without the assistance of the Doctor they weren't going to make much more headway on it anytime soon. Soon the discussion veered towards exactly where Khan was going to stay until the Doctor could be reached. Finally it was decided Khan would stay with Molly at her home. Rory and Amy bid them both a good night, leaving the two of them alone.

The man unnerved her just a little bit, she realized. He seemed to have all of Sherlock's negative traits and a few additional ones on top of that, and something about him made her feel he was dangerous. But he seemed to at least be civil to her and Amy, which was more than he had been to Rory, and even then he seemed to prefer her, though she couldn't fathom why. Molly had many questions swimming around in her head and she wasn't quite sure how to ask them, or if he would even answer them. She was putting the little bit of food that was left over away, and he was standing in her kitchen, leaning against a counter and watching her. “You're curious about me,” he finally said after a long pause.

“Yes, I am,” she said with a nod. She finished covering the bowl she had been attending to in foil and put it in her refrigerator. “You said you were in cryogenic sleep. That means you were frozen, right?”

“Yes,” he said. “My crew and I did it so that we might survive a long voyage in space. Our ship was put on autopilot. We thought we were safe.”

“Were you?” she asked.

“No. We were found and captured. I alone was awoken, and my crew was taken from me and held prisoner so I would be at the bidding of a man who wanted war.”

“I'm assuming it's supposed to be a time of peace where you came from now,” she said. He nodded. “Why would he want war?”

He was quiet for a moment as he watched her stand across from him and pick up her wineglass, taking a sip. “Certain events unfolded that were not supposed to happen. A ship was destroyed that was not supposed to be destroyed. That created an alternate universe. I do not know what would have happened otherwise, but I do know the head of Starfleet wouldn't be thirsting for war. There wouldn't be a need.”

“Do you think you still would have been found?” she asked.

“Most likely,” he said with a nod. “But the circumstances might have been different, as might the outcome from waking me up.”

She stayed quiet as she took another sip of her wine. “You strike me as a very dangerous man.”

“That's because I am,” he said with a slight shrug. “Very few know the truth about me, or what I had done that caused me to be exiled. Normally I would lie through my teeth but since I am here and I do not see myself returning any time soon, if ever, I don't see the need. I believed that only certain people should be alive, and all the rest should be dead. I and others tried to make that a vision a reality.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Genocide?” she asked, shocked.

“In a manner of speaking.” She stared at him and he shrugged again. “If you're going to say it's atrocious or barbaric I've heard worse.”

“And they woke you up and let you roam about? That might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard someone do.”

“Oh, they also had me designing weapons and warships,” he said. “Marcus wanted to exploit my intellect and my prowess with the implements of war.”

“And Marcus is...?” she asked.

“Admiral Marcus. The head of Starfleet. My captor.”

“Oh,” she said. She had some more of her wine. “I'm not entirely sure I want to be sharing the same space with you now.”

“I was on the losing side of a war I could never win,” he said quietly. “I do not see myself doing the same things if I'm stuck in this universe. I am not in the mood to repeat past mistakes, and there would be no point anyway. I'm the only one of my kind here.”

“Your kind?” Then it dawned on her as she remembered what he had said in her bedroom. “The genetic modifications. The reason you look like Sherlock. Well, your world's Sherlock.”

“They were done to me in-utero,” he said. “I was born this way. I am stronger, faster, able to heal from grievous wounds. My blood can produce a serum that can heal anything, and possibly bring someone back from the dead, if it gets injected into them soon enough. That was a hypothesis I'd never gotten to test. I am superior in every respect. There were others like me, but they are all back in my universe and I am here. While I could probably replicate the process of genetic modification with the right equipment I don't plan on doing it, nor do I plan on bringing about a new world order. I would rather devote my time and energies to getting back to where I came from and rescuing my crew from Marcus's hands.”

She looked at him intently. “You really _are_ very dangerous, aren't you?” she asked.

“Quite,” he said with a nod.

“Should I be worried?”

“Only if you cross me. But I get the feeling you won't. You wouldn't have anything to gain from it.” He glanced around the kitchen. “You appear to be done putting the food away.”

“I am,” she said. “Why?”

“You have a post to get to in the morning, correct?”

She shook her head. “I have a post, but I have tomorrow off. Or today, rather, now that it's past midnight. I don't have to go to sleep right away.”

He nodded, looking at her intently. It was almost as though he was sizing her up, close to how Sherlock looked at her before he made any number of deductions about her. It made her just slightly uncomfortable, knowing she was being judged. Finally he spoke. “I'll admit, I'm curious about you. And as you seem to have sated some of your curiosity about me it's only fair if I do the same about you.”

She finished her glass of wine and set it in the sink with the other dishes. She could always do them at some point tomorrow. And she supposed he had a point. It was only fair that she answer his questions, or at least as many as she felt comfortable answering. “All right,” she said, turning back to him. “What do you want to know?”

“What you do for a living, for a start. I gathered you work at a hospital of some sort.”

She nodded towards her sitting room and moved in that direction. He followed her and sat on her sofa as she settled into a nearby chair. “I'm a specialist registrar. Essentially I autopsy dead bodies to find out cause of death, and alert Scotland Yard if it's a homicide. But I also get bodies sent to me specifically because they are homicides. I do more of those autopsies than the other ones.”

“So you assist the law enforcement personnel here?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Yes,” she said with a nod. “I've been told I'm quite good at what I do. I also know my way around a laboratory, if you're asking me to run basic tests. I do a lot of analyzing of samples in the course of my work.”

“I'll admit, I'm rather surprised. I thought if you worked at a hospital you would be a nurse. You don't strike me as the type of person who would be able to stand around dead bodies and cut into them. I would have thought you were a more squeamish sort.”

“Anyone who goes into the medical field as a doctor can't be squeamish,” she said. “We all have to work on cadavers at some point, and if you can't stand the idea of cutting a dead person open you probably wouldn't do well if you had to cut into a live person. I just found my hands weren't steady enough to be a surgeon like I had wanted, and I was fascinated with figuring out how the cadavers I worked on ended up dying. My professor suggested I take some forensic pathology courses and then I was off on a new career path.”

He nodded and was quiet for a moment. “It might be interesting to observe you at some point.”

“Oh?” she asked.

“I suppose I have a keen interest in science. I think observing you work would be an interesting experience, as I haven't seen that before.” 

“Ah.” Truth be told they hadn't figured out what to do about Khan past trying to get a hold of the Doctor to figure out how to get him home again. It would probably be best to keep him out of sight from the general public, but that might not be an option. She doubted he would enjoy being cooped up in her home for hours on end every day, and if he was left to his own devices she imagined she would not like the state of things when she returned home. The fact he looked and sounded exactly like Sherlock was going to pose problems regardless, but if she was close it might help lessen any complications, at least until he encountered people who were close to Sherlock like John Watson or Greg Lestrade. She hoped that could be a time off, if it even happened at all. “Perhaps you can come to the hospital with me when I go in tomorrow.”

He looked at her shrewdly. “You want me close, don't you?” he asked.

She thought for a moment. It was probably best if she didn't tell him the truth about Sherlock. She barely knew him, and it wasn't her secret to tell anyway. “Not only do you look like Sherlock you sound like him, too. And he's dead. Jumped off the roof of my hospital a time back. It's going to be quite confusing to people if they see you walking around, as he got to be quite famous before his death and things weren't going well for him, towards the end.”

“How so?” he asked. “If people are going to assume I know him I should know the whole story.”

She nodded slightly. He had a point; at best, most people were going to think he was related to Sherlock in some way, and at worst they would think him Sherlock risen from the grave. But either way he should know at least an edited version of what had happened. “There was a man, James Moriarty. He was a criminal mastermind. He was also a fan of Sherlock's. He set up an elaborate scheme, robbing a bank, letting prisoners escape a prison and stealing the crown jewels all at the same time. He did it to get Sherlock's attention but he allowed himself to be caught. There was a trial and he was let off. And then a woman wrote an article accusing Sherlock of hiring an actor named Richard Brook to commit all those crimes as Moriarty so he could solve them and get the attention.”

“And you believe these events caused him to jump off the roof of your hospital?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded. She could tell he didn't quite believe her, but everything she had said so far was the absolute truth and he could verify it by reading any newspaper or online article about all of it. “Yes. He didn't leave a note, not exactly. But he did commit suicide for some reason, and the person he was talking to before he jumped said Sherlock told him he was a fraud.”

“But you don't believe that, do you?” he asked.

“No, I don't. I think Sherlock was exactly what he purported to be: a brilliant consultant who could solve complicated cases.”

“Was he your friend?”

“Maybe. He could have been. We were starting to be friends, I think, before it all happened.” She paused to yawn for a moment. “Perhaps I'm more tired than I thought. Are you?”

“I have extraordinary stamina. I usually don't sleep very much.”

“Funny. Sherlock used to say the same thing.” She stood up. “At least let me show you where you'll be sleeping tonight. If you want to stay awake for a while you can come down here and watch the telly. It's probably all crap at this point in the evening, but maybe it will entertain you.”

He nodded, standing up as well. “I'll consider it.”

She headed towards her stairs and made her way up them with Khan right behind her. She turned towards her bedroom but this time she paused in front of a door before that one. She opened it and then reached on the wall for the light switch. When she found it she turned the light on. “This is my guest bedroom.”

“It is definitely more masculine than the other bedroom,” he said as they both stepped inside.

“This was the furniture my parents owned when they were alive. My mother had decorated more for my father's taste,” she said with a slight smile. “Florals don't seem appropriate for this room.”

He nodded, moving towards the bed. He sat down on it, testing it slightly, then looked up at her. “This will be sufficient.”

“Later today we can get you clothing. If you're going to be here for a while you should at least be comfortable.”

“I get the feeling I will be here for quite some time,” he said quietly. “The rest of my life, possibly.”

“For all we know the Doctor can get you back home,” she said. “It's just a matter of waiting for him to come visit Amy and Rory.”

“I'm not holding out much hope,” he said. “I suppose I should ask now. Where can I go to have a cigarette?”

She made a face. “Outside. Preferably not out front, though. It's frowned upon here.”

“It's frowned upon there as well,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, as I said, don't do it in here. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke.” She turned and went to the door. “Good night, Khan,” she said as she turned around to give him one last look. He nodded in response and then laid down on the bed, and after a moment she moved into the hallway and shut the door behind her before going into her own room to get ready for bed. She had not expected part of the conversation they had had, and she was still quite wary of him, but for now she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt. She didn't intend to share tonight's revelations with anyone else, at least for the time being, because everyone deserved a second chance, even him. As she began to get ready for bed, however, she hoped it didn't cost her much in the end to give it to him.


	3. Chapter 3

She had to admit, for an unexpected and slightly unwanted house guest Khan wasn't all that bad. He mostly kept to himself in the room she was letting him use in the morning, coming out only for food and the one trip to get him clothing. She had expected his taste to run high end, or at least to be similar to what Sherlock had worn, but he didn't appear to get clothing to impress anyone. She looked at the clothing he was choosing and was surprised. He did get a rather expensive and high quality coat, but everything else were basic pieces, and almost all of it was in black. It was going to take some time getting used to seeing someone who looked like Sherlock not actually looking like Sherlock. They hauled it all back to her home and once again he left her in peace, coming out a few times to smoke and eat supper.

She went to bed that evening dreading going to work. She had seen the looks he received and the surprise on people's faces. Bringing Khan to St. Bart's was just going to make more people talk but really, there wasn't any other choice. Even if he did keep to himself she didn't want to leave him cooped up at her home while she worked her shift at the hospital. It would probably still be quite boring for him, but at least he could study her while she was working, which he still seemed to be quite keen about. Rory had said he wasn't coming in that day but if it got to be too awkward or she wanted peace to call him and he'd take Khan somewhere else until she was done for the day.

The next morning she woke up, yawning slightly. She'd had a rough night's sleep because really, there was so much that could go horribly awry and her mind wouldn't let her stop thinking about it. She sat up in bed and then yawned again before pushing the covers back. She had to get it over and done with sooner or later. She went to the back of her door and got her dressing gown off the hook, slipping it on, and then she made her way down to the sitting room. She had walked into the kitchen before it registered that there had been more than one person in her sitting room. That was unexpected.

She slowly made her way back out there. Khan was sitting in one chair, looking intently at the other man in the room. Mycroft Holmes sat in the other chair, looking up at her. “We need to talk,” he said.

“Do I want to know how you got in here, Mycroft?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It wasn't all that hard, which is a sign you need better locks,” he said.

“You actually know this man?” Khan asked, turning his gaze towards her.

“Not very well, but I do know him. Khan, this is Mycroft Holmes. Sherlock's brother. Mycroft, this is Khan Noonien Singh.” She looked between the two of them. “If we're going to talk can I at least make some coffee? I had a very rough night's sleep.”

“Of course,” Mycroft said, standing up. Khan did the same, and the three of them made their way to her kitchen. She went to her coffeemaker and began to set up her coffee. “I will admit, I was surprised to see four people leave your home in a twenty-four hour span when I knew only three had entered,” he said after a moment.

She nearly dropped her coffee pot. “You actually have me under surveillance?”

“For your own protection,” he said. “After all, you are an associate of my brother's. We do not know who may come after all of you.”

“I suppose,” she said quietly.

“Back to what I was saying. I was also quite surprised to see that fourth person who left this home looking exactly like my brother. Imagine my shock when I found out it wasn't.”

“I can't imagine you being shocked, Mycroft,” she said as she took the pot to the sink. “Do either of you want coffee?”

“No,” Mycroft said, but Khan nodded. She turned on the faucet, letting the pot fill with cold water. “I'm very curious to know how you got here,” he said towards Khan.

“Weeping Angels,” Khan said, looking at Mycroft intently.

He sighed. “Kate is not going to be pleased,” he said.

“So you know what they are?” Molly asked, completely shocked.

Mycroft nodded. “I have my fingers in many government agencies, including UNIT. I knew all about your friends Rory and Amelia Williams before you met them. There are extensive files on those two at UNIT, as they are known associates of the Doctor.”

Molly stared at him, open mouthed. She forgot the water was running into the coffee pot until it began to overflow, and she quickly turned off the tap. She dumped some of it back into the sink and then poured the rest into the coffeemaker. “So you knew they traveled through time and space before I ever said one word to them?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. “When they settled here in London UNIT began to keep tabs on them. Discreetly, of course, but they've tracked them for quite a long time. When Kate realized their lives could possibly intersect with Sherlock's through you she alerted me.”

“So you keep tabs on me too? Wonderful,” she murmured. “How long have you been doing that?”

“Since the day you started working at St. Bart's,” he replied. “I do that with anyone who could be a known associate of Sherlock's.”

“He's dead, though, so why are you continuing to keep her under surveillance?” Khan asked.

“Because my brother had enemies. The day he died, one of those enemies had made plans to kill his friends if he didn't jump off that roof.”

“He didn't tell me that,” Molly said quietly.

“He didn't know until he got on that roof,” Mycroft said.

“Ah,” she said with a nod.

Khan looked from Molly to Mycroft, and then back to Molly. Then he narrowed his eyes. “He's not really dead, is he?” he asked finally. Molly looked over at Mycroft worriedly, who turned a mild glare towards Khan. Khan glared back. “I'm not an idiot, you know. Your entire conversation is proof the two of you are keeping a very big secret. The only secret that would concern both of you involves your brother, and the only secret worth keeping is that he didn't die when everyone thought he had.”

“That isn't necessarily true,” Mycroft said.

“Don't treat me like a child,” Khan snapped. “I don't really care if he is or isn't alive, to be honest. Other than the fact I resemble him I have no concern for him one way or the other. But it is going to cause problems, and you know that or else you wouldn't be here.

“It really is like being in the same room as my brother again,” Mycroft murmured. “You have his skills at deduction as well as his arrogance.”

“I earned my arrogance,” Khan said, straightening up slightly.

Mycroft looked ready to reply when Molly moved in between them. “Please, stop. I don't want any fighting this morning,” she said wearily.

“Very well,” Khan said after a moment.

“As you wish,” Mycroft said with a nod. “Seeing as how you have figured it out, yes, Sherlock is still alive. He is currently doing everything in his power to remove the threat Moriarty's vast criminal network poses to the world. But I have limited contact with him, which is why I wanted to make sure that you were not actually Sherlock.”

“Why?” Khan asked.

“Because if Sherlock had slunk back to London so soon after leaving things must have gone horribly awry.”

Molly looked at him for a moment before going over to finish the coffee. “Well, Sherlock isn't keeping me updated one way or the other. But somehow I'm sure you already knew that, Mycroft.”

“I did. But my brother is full of surprises sometimes.” He glanced back over towards Molly. “This man being here does put you in danger, Molly.”

“I do have a name, you know,” Khan said.

Mycroft rolled his eyes and Molly sighed when Khan opened his mouth the respond. “Khan?” Molly said, hanging her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. “Don't. It's just petty.”

“I am not going to be treated with disrespect,” he replied.

“I swear, you two are just as bad as you and Sherlock were, Mycroft,” she replied. “Can we please just figure out what we're going to do about all this?”

“All right,” Mycroft said. “We still do not know what plans Moriarty had, or who was keeping the ones he did have in play. Having a man who looks and sounds like Sherlock Holmes in your home makes you a very large target, Molly, at least until Sherlock is finished with his task.”

“Where else is he supposed to go?” she asked. “He may be from this time, but he's from this time in another universe. And from what I understand it was vastly different there. Wasn't it?” She looked over at Khan when she asked that last part.

He nodded. “Yes. Life was very different there than it is here.”

“And if he's on his own right now that paints a large target on his back, because everyone is going to assume he's Sherlock even though he's not,” she said as she turned back to Mycroft. “And there isn't a way to send him back home at this point. So as much as I'm still not entirely sure I want him here there isn't any other place for him to go.”

“Has he done anything to suggest he'd harm you?” Mycroft asked.

“What? No, not at all,” Molly said, her eyes wide. “There are a few reasons I'm not sure I want him here, the threat to me being one of them, but he hasn't threatened me or anything. We look at things differently, that's all. But I'm a believer in second chances, and everyone deserves one, even him.”

Mycroft looked at Khan warily. “Very well,” he said finally. “We should discuss what we need to do to minimize the threat to you, Molly.”

“How hard would it be to craft an identity for me here? One where I was related to you and your brother?” Khan asked.

Mycroft thought for a moment. “There is the other one,” he said thoughtfully. 

“Other one?” Molly asked. “You mean, you have another brother?”

“Yes, Sherlock's twin brother. Though it's possibly had at this point. He disappeared and we have no idea where he is or if he's still alive,” Mycroft said. “He was the more...eccentric one.”

“Considering how Sherlock is I find that very unnerving,” Molly said.

“We all did,” Mycroft admitted. “Sherlock is relatively normal compared to him.” He looked back over at Khan. “I believe I could do that. Why, though, is the question.”

“Long lost brother at odds with the family returns home after finding out about his twin's death,” Khan said with a shrug. “And being at odds with the family means I didn't necessarily keep my family name. In the time I came from a false identity was created for me under the name John Harrison. I could continue to use that here, as I've answered to it for weeks. It would be easier than trying to establish a third identity.”

“But why stay with Molly?” Mycroft asked.

“Because he reminded me of Sherlock, and he needed a place to stay,” Molly said. “Anyone who knows me knew I had a silly crush on your brother. Another Holmes brother pops up who looks just like Sherlock and needs help? I'd be just the person to suggest he come stay with me. Everyone already thinks I'm pathetic anyway. They'd easily believe that.”

“You are not pathetic, Molly,” Mycroft said softly.

“Thank you for the sentiment, but I am and everyone knows it,” she said with a shrug. “This would also explain your visit, for anyone who was curious. You wanted to see what your long lost brother was up to and what sort of game he was playing at. It would also give you a legitimate reason to come around multiple times and make sure everything's all right. After all, you are the type to protect your family, even though you might be estranged from them. You did it with Sherlock often enough.”

Mycroft thought it over for a few minutes. “It could work,” he conceded finally. “But we would all need to play our parts well. And that means you need to learn the family history, Khan.” He paused. “John. I suppose I should start calling you that now. What plans did you have for today?”

“Nothing, other than accompanying Molly to her post,” he said.

“It would be best if that was delayed for a time,” Mycroft said. “Until we get your identity settled it would be in everyone's best interest if you avoided the places Sherlock was known to frequent, and St. Bart's was at the top of the list.”

“What do you need us to do today, then?” she asked.

“When do you need to leave to go to St. Bart's?” Mycroft asked.

Molly glanced at the clock on her wall. “In a little over an hour and a half. I had woken up early to try and figure out something with Kh--” She stopped. “John, and then I was going to eat and shower and get ready.”

“In an hour I will send a car for you,” Mycroft told Khan. “It will take you to my club. Say nothing when you get there, as no one is allowed to speak. I will have you escorted to me shortly after your arrival.”

“That sounds a bit cloak and dagger,” Khan said, raising an eyebrow.

“I know I can speak there without the threat of anyone else listening,” Mycroft said with a very slight shrug. “You will do this every day until we have determined enough time has passed for you to move about here in London on your own, in which case you can do whatever you please.”

“You would still be welcome to come to St. Bart's,” Molly said. “I'm sure the same arrangement Sherlock had with the hospital can be arranged for you.”

“What arrangement?” Khan asked.

“My brother was allowed to occupy a lab at the facility to run experiments of his choosing. He did them to facilitate his position as a consulting detective, but if you are interested I can see about having space designated for you to use to pursue your own experiments,” Mycroft replied.

“I think that would be preferable to having nothing to do,” Khan said after a moment.

“Then I will see what I can do.” Mycroft moved away from the counter. “One hour. Be ready and waiting for the car.” He nodded towards Molly. “I will speak to you again soon, Molly.”

“All right,” she said with a nod of her own, and after that Mycroft turned and left her kitchen. After a few minutes she heard her front door open and then close. She looked over at Khan before quickly turning back to the coffeemaker. “You have an hour and I haven't even started the coffee. I'm sorry.”

“It's all right,” he said. He was quiet for a moment, and then he spoke. “I had hoped when I came here I would be able to discard the John Harrison persona. I suppose I am not very lucky in that regard.”

“It's less memorable than your actual name,” she replied. “It's going to take some time to remember not to call you Khan. I just hope I don't forget when others are around.”

“You do tend to give much away,” he said. “How long ago did Sherlock jump off that roof?”

“A few months ago,” she said. “Why?”

“I'm just surprised you managed to keep the secret that long. It might just be because the other person who knew the truth was here, though. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in that regard.”

“It's very hard to keep it from John and Greg, though,” she said quietly, turning around to face him. Khan raised an eyebrow. “Sherlock's friends. My friends, too, I suppose. John Watson was his flatmate and his best friend, and Greg Lestrade is a policeman in Scotland Yard who Sherlock consulted for. I see Greg more than I see John these days, but I have a professional relationship with Greg that I no longer have with John. Even though Sherlock isn't consulting for him anymore I still do the autopsies on most of his homicide victims.”

“And they don't suspect?” he asked.

“No. At least, I don't think so.”

“Then it must be the fact it was Mycroft here as opposed to you being a bad actress.” He paused. “The second chance remark you made earlier. Was that an act too?”

“I'm actually giving you a second chance,” she said. “I mean, you said you won't do what you did back home and I believe you. Mycroft doesn't have to know about that conversation. If he asks why I felt uneasy I'll come up with other reasons.”

“How do you know you can trust me? I'm not a poster boy for trustworthiness.”

She shrugged. “I just do.”

“That's something a sentimental fool would say,” he said quietly.

“Then I suppose that's why I'm pathetic,” she said, turning a bit red. It did hurt a bit to be called a fool for something that was ingrained in her nature.

He studied her for a moment. “I embarrassed you,” he murmured.

“It's not that it was embarrassing. It's just hard to have the truth presented in such a way. I _am_ a sentimental fool, just as much as I'm pathetic. But I don't get called either of those things to my face very often.”

“But that's how you think of yourself,” he said after a moment.

“I suppose I do. But when it's the truth, how else can you think about it?” She turned away from him to start brewing the coffee. “Anyway, enough about that. What do you want for breakfast?”

“You're changing the topic.” he said.

“Yes, I am. Breakfast?” she asked, turning back to him when she was done.

He looked at her for a long while, and after a moment she turned away from his gaze. Finally he spoke again. “Eggs and toast.”

“Tell me how you want your eggs and they'll be ready soon,” she said, moving to her cabinets and going for a skillet.

“Omelet,” he said.

“Rummage around in the refrigerator for whatever else you want on it and I'll get started,” she said. “Pull the eggs out as well.” He moved away from her and went to her refrigerator, and for a moment she shut her eyes and took a deep breath to compose herself. She would get through this with her sanity intact and Sherlock's secret kept under wraps, she told herself. She had to, or else everything might go wrong and she would rightly blame herself, and she didn't want to do that. She just hoped she could continue to put up a facade and get through each day until the Doctor arrived and they could figure out exactly what they could and couldn't do.


	4. Chapter 4

For about three weeks things started to follow a routine: every morning a car would be sent for Khan, regardless of whether Molly had to work or not, and then when she arrived home he returned. They would talk a bit over supper about the things Mycroft was telling him, the things a Holmes brother would know, and then they would do whatever it was they felt like doing the rest of the evening within the confines of her home. Occasionally Amy and Rory would join them, but not often, as they were trying everything they could to get the Doctor's attention and get him to London as quickly as possible. They had met with Mycroft the evening that he had arrived at Molly's home, much to their surprise, and they now knew the details of the plan.

Today had gone differently, however. At noon Khan had arrived at the hospital, taken there by Mycroft, and she had been informed he had learned and retained all the information needed to pass as Sherlock's twin brother. Mycroft had left shortly thereafter, instructing Molly to take him to Sherlock's lab when she had a moment. Now they were at the lab, Khan looking around as Molly stood by the door. She hadn't been in here since the day Sherlock jumped off the roof, and it was strange being there.

“The equipment is antiquated, but I know how to use it all,” Khan said after a moment, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Well, you're from a more technologically advanced time,” she said. “It's to be expected.”

“It's one of the disadvantages of being here,” he said with a slight shrug. “But this will keep me occupied.”

She nodded. “That's good. I suppose I'll leave you in peace, then.”

“It doesn't do much good to be here without a specific experiment to run, or samples, or things like that,” he pointed out. “I'll need help obtaining them.”

“Oh. Right,” she replied.

He looked at her closely. “You seem to be more distracted than usual,” he said after a moment.

“I haven't been in here since he jumped,” she said quietly. “It's a bit strange, that's all. Seeing you here and not him.”

“Well, hopefully you won't have me here much longer,” he said. “Then you won't have a constant reminder of him.”

“I suppose. I just hope you can get home,” she said. “But if you can't I need to get used to you. Unless you leave, of course. Then it won't matter.”

“I hadn't thought about what it might mean to have absolute freedom,” he mused. “I could go anywhere I wanted.”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. She was surprised that she actually felt a bit sad at the idea of him leaving. At some point in the last few weeks she had begun to get used to him, she realized. It would be very strange to not actually have him around. “Do you want to observe me today?”

He nodded. “I think that would be a better idea than sitting here with nothing to do.”

“All right. I have two more autopsies to do today before I can go home, though I do need to take my lunch now. I was going to go out to get something to eat and bring it back to my office. If you want something I can get some food for you as well.”

“Very well,” he said with a nod. With that, the two of them left the lab, heading to the lift and going to the first floor. They walked out of the hospital and Molly led them to the left onto the crowded pavement. They walked for a few blocks before they came to an alley and Khan pulled her into it. She looked at him, surprised, but he put a finger to his lips. After a moment he moved them further into the alley. “Someone is following us,” he said finally.

“Is that why you kept glancing back?” she asked.

He nodded. “The man has a concealed weapon.”

“Then bringing us in here is going to make us sitting ducks,” she said, her eyes wide.

“Let me handle this,” he said. There was a pile of rubbish behind them and he moved her to it. “Stay hidden. If I let harm come to you many people would be very put out.”

“Fine,” she said, crouching down behind it. He moved away, back up towards the mouth of the alley, and then she saw another man approach. She couldn't hear what either of the men were saying, but after a moment she saw the man who had been following them pull out a gun. He aimed and fired a shot at Khan, and Khan got hit in the shoulder. She ducked back behind the debris and shut her eyes, listening to what sounded like a brutal fight. After a few minutes there was silence and she opened her eyes. She heard someone approach and she pulled out the first heavy thing she could find, a thin metal pipe. She gripped it tightly, ready to swing, until she saw it was Khan. There was a cut under his eye and the bullet was lodged in his shoulder, but other than that he seemed unharmed. “Oh, thank God,” she said quietly.

“Mycroft needs to be contacted,” he said. “But as I assumed that we would need answers to questions he might have I spared the man's life. He'll never be able to walk properly again, though.”

Her eyes widened slightly. Khan really was a dangerous man, she realized. She stood slowly as Khan moved away from her, pulling a mobile phone out of his pocket. She made her way to the man, seeing him lying in a heap and whimpering. Part of her knew she should leave him be, let Mycroft and others handle it, but part of her also wanted to kick him a few times. She had never had to fear for her own safety in this way before, and this man was going to kill the both of them and now she'd never feel completely safe again. “I hope you're in great pain,” she said finally.

“He is,” Khan said, ending his call. “I can inflict very painful damage when I have need.” 

“I should thank you, I suppose,” she said. “You did save my life.”

“I saved my own as well,” he said with a slight shrug. “We're to head directly to your home. You'll be taking a leave of absence from your job until Mycroft can figure out what is best to do.”

“You need medical attention, though,” she said. “We should go back to the hospital for that.”

“Not enough time,” he said, moving her back towards the mouth of the alley. “And I've survived much worse before.” He didn't give her a chance to argue, pulling her towards the curb.

“I can move on my own, you know,” she said, wrenching her arm from his grip.

“I'm just trying to get us out of a public place before anyone else decides to get any ideas,” he said.

She leaned over and hailed them a cab. One stopped within seconds and she got in first. Khan followed, and she gave the driver her address. The cab pulled away and she settled into her seat. “You know, I thought being used as a pawn in the game between Sherlock and a criminal mastermind would be the one thing in my life that would put me in danger. But ever since you showed up my life has just become more...” She trailed off. “You've made my life vastly more complicated, John,” she said finally.

“Do you think I wanted to be here?” he asked. “I had plans. Plans that have been dashed and unless Amelia and Rory's friend can help me plans that will never have a chance to come to fruition. I've left people behind who relied on me, and they may be left there without any hope of ever being freed.”

“Well, I'm sorry for that. I am. But I'm not happy about this afternoon's turn of events. Now I'm in danger too. More than I was, I mean. And you don't even...” She glanced over at the driver. “Never mind.”

“This is probably an argument better kept for somewhere with more privacy,” he said gruffly.

“I didn't even want there to be an argument in the first place. I don't like fighting with anyone. I try my best to avoid it.”

“And that leads to people walking all over you like a doormat,” Khan said.

“I am not a doormat!” Molly snapped.

“Yes, you are,” he replied. “And I think you prefer this than to fight for anything. Fighting _for_ something means actually fighting, and you abhor conflict. Therefore you let everyone do what they please when it comes to you. That, Molly, is the definition of being a doormat.”

She didn't have a lot of room to move in the back of the cab but she reached over to slap him. Or she tried to, at any rate; he grabbed her hand before it could connect with his face. “Let go of my hand,” she said through gritted teeth.

“There. That's a spark. You want something. I assume it's your boring life back, because you crave normalcy. Or perhaps you do crave adventure, but not danger, and I represent danger while Amelia and Rory's friend is just adventure. You don't want me to ingrain myself in your life because you know as long as I'm here there will be danger and that will throw your sad, boring life into a tailspin and you don't want that.”

“What I want is for you to keep your bloody mouth shut,” she said, glaring at him.

“There are a few ways to do that, none of which I think you'd do. And to be honest. I think I'd rather avoid this conflict myself, so it would help if _you_ were being quiet.”

“I have been quiet! You're the one going on and on. What are you going to do to keep me from talking when I'm already mmmph--” He had undone his seat belt quickly and moved forward, not letting go of her wrist until he was close to her, and then he kissed her. She was so surprised by it that for a moment she forgot that they were actually in the process of having a rather heated argument and she kissed him back. After a few moments she pulled away, looking at him with wide eyes. “Why on earth did you do that?” she asked.

“I wanted you to be quiet,” he said. “It seemed the best way to accomplish that.”

“Of course,” she said quietly. She moved as far away as she could to put distance between them, and after a moment he went back to his side of the seat. She stared out the window but was silent as the cab weaved through traffic. He could have just clamped a hand over her mouth, or even done something as childish as cover his ears, but he had kissed her instead, and he hadn't done it briefly, either. This could be extremely problematic now that everything was quickly becoming different and they were going to be stuck together with no respite from the other person other than staying in separate rooms.

It seemed all too quickly that the cab arrived at her home. He got out as she paid the driver, and then she followed him to the door. She let them in and set her purse on the table by her door. “I'm going to check the other rooms,” he said. “Wait here.”

“Fine,” she replied, still a bit distracted. She watched him walk further into her home, checking each part of it, and then made his way up the stairs. After ten minutes he came back down the stairs. “So we're alone?” she asked.

Khan nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” She took two steps up to him and this time slapped him before he had time to stop her. “Don't _ever_ kiss me again to get me to be quiet. You can clamp a hand over my mouth if you have to but I refuse to be manipulated by any man that way again.”

He looked at her intently. “Moriarty or Sherlock?” he asked.

“Moriarty. He pretended to date me to get close to Sherlock. He pretended to actually be interested in me and when I found out all he'd wanted was a meeting with Sherlock I was humiliated because I couldn't see it. I promised I wouldn't let any man use something like a kiss to manipulate me again.”

“But you would let Sherlock do it,” he said, crossing his arms.

“No, actually, I wouldn't,” she replied as she mimicked his stance. “It goes for _any_ man, up to and including Sherlock.” 

He was quiet for a few minutes, just studying her. “There are exceptions to every rule,” he finally murmured when he spoke.

“Well, he isn't an exception, and you aren't, either. You think I'm a doormat, remember?” She brushed past him and made her way into her kitchen. She could tell he was right behind her, and she stopped in the center of her kitchen, catching him off guard when she turned to face him. He stopped mere inches away from her. “You don't like me very much, do you? You tolerate me because you have to, and because I'm useful. But you don't actually _like_ me. You don't like anyone, really. It's who you are.”

“You're wrong,” he said, straightening up slightly. “You've begun to grow on me. I don't know if I'd go so far as to say we're friends, but I do more than tolerate you. If I merely tolerated you I would spend far more time alone in the room I'm using than actually making it a point to talk to you. In fact, I'd have made an active attempt to find lodgings somewhere else if I didn't actually mind staying here.”

“You don't call someone you're friendly with a doormat. At least not to their face.”

“Would you rather have me sugarcoat the truth?” He looked down at her. “Or worse yet, speak about you behind your back? You don't really know me, Molly. Just as I don't really know you. But I won't lie to you. You've been the only person I've spent any real time with since I was awoken that isn't trying to use me or manipulate me. Since you have extended me that courtesy I'll do the same for you.”

She was quiet for a moment. “But you did just try and manipulate me,” she pointed out.

“You're right in that I could have chosen other ways to get you to be quiet. But I didn't kiss you to manipulate you.”

“Then why did you do it? And don't tell me it was just to get me to be quiet.”

“Because I wanted to,” he said with a slight shrug. “I, like Sherlock, generally try and avoid attachments. Even with my crew, the people I chose as my family, I avoided anything remotely resembling a romantic attachment. Too much chance that it could blow up in my face. But you have offered me something tantalizing.”

“What could I possibly offer you?” she asked.

“A second chance, with no strings attached.” He was quiet for a full minute after he said that. “I have, for my entire life, been manipulated in one way or another. There were people who wanted me involved in the Eugenics War. Marcus was manipulating me to create his weapons and warships. Even here, I know Mycroft is manipulating me for his own ends. But you don't do that. You take me exactly as I am and have no designs on me whatsoever. I find that refreshing. So I kissed you because I wanted to, not because I wanted to manipulate you.” He stepped closer to her. “I would have done it regardless eventually but at that moment we didn't need to be having an argument in public and it seemed the most expedient way of getting you to stop fighting with me.”

“You can't be attracted to me,” she said quietly. “No one is. I'm not flashy or attractive or even interesting. I'm a nobody.”

“Of all the people I have ever met you certainly have the lowest opinion of yourself,” he said, shaking his head.

“I'm only speaking the truth.”

“I am not a person prone to flowery speech. I never have been and I never will be. So remember that when I say you're an idiot if you think someone can't actually be attracted to you, and I don't think you're actually that idiotic. I apparently have a higher opinion of you than you have of yourself. One day your opinion of yourself might change, but the question will be whether it's too late.” He looked at her until she finally got uncomfortable and looked away. “We should probably change the subject. Mycroft will be here eventually with instructions for us to follow in light of what happened this afternoon, once he gets information from our attacker. If his plans are what I think they will be it might be best if you packed a bag because I doubt we will be staying here in London much longer.”

“I can get you a bag as well,” she replied. “Sherlock had a few and I haven't thrown them away or found other uses for them yet.”

“Thank you,” he said with a nod. Molly stepped away from him and after making sure he made no move to stop her she headed up the stairs towards her room. There were times it felt strange to be there ever since Sherlock stopped using it. It felt even stranger, now, to know a man who looked and sounded like Sherlock was staying in the room she had inhabited while Sherlock was at her home. But now wasn't the time to think about it. She went into her room and got her large suitcase from under the bed, and then went to her closet and got two duffel bags that Sherlock had left. She deposited the duffel bags on Khan's bed and then went back downstairs, finding him still in her kitchen. “That was quick,” he said.

“Two duffel bags are in your room. They're a bit small, but they should still hold a lot. I have a third, if you need it. And I really should take that bullet out of your shoulder.”

“The bullet wound can keep for the moment,” he replied. “I'll go begin gathering up my things.” He began to make his way to the stairs when he paused. “Thank you, Molly,” he said quietly.

“You're welcome,” she replied before watching him walk to the stairs. She took a moment to compose herself, shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. The entire conversation they had just left her more confused and unsure. All she knew now was there was something between them, and she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to have happen. It all hinged on what the Doctor could do for him, and to find out they would have to wait until he could be contacted and convinced to return. Until then, she was on her own for this, and she didn't like that one bit.


	5. Chapter 5

Mycroft did indeed send them away from London as quickly as possible. They had not even been allowed to tell Rory and Amelia where they were going, but Mycroft had assured them if their friend came to call the Doctor would probably find the two of them on his own without anyone's help. Molly and Khan got on a train and made their way away from London after Mycroft had sent a decoy car out heading in the opposite direction. It had been very late when they finally left and she gathered Mycroft had had to pull some strings for them to share a berth on a sleeper train because she knew people of the opposite sex weren't supposed to share them, but no one had told them they couldn't. She had tried to stay awake as long as possible, sort everything she was thinking and feeling out, but all she did was give herself a headache and she ended up falling asleep anyway. She woke up a few hours later, not a single bit more refreshed and a bit sore from sleeping at an angle she wasn't used to. She reached up to rub the back of her neck and try and get the kinks out before glancing at Khan. It didn't appear he'd slept at all, and he wasn't paying attention to her at the moment. He was keeping an eye on the door to their compartment. “Have you slept at all?” she asked.

“No,” he said, not turning to look at her. “But we're almost to our destination. I'll rest then.”

Her eyes widened. “How long was I asleep?”

“Quite a while. You appeared to need the rest and so far we haven't had anyone disturb us.”

“I wonder what Mycroft said to get us this berth to ourselves,” she mused, more to herself than to him.

“I suppose when he wants to put the weight of the government behind his requests exceptions will be made,” Khan said with a shrug. “It can be useful, I'll admit.” Finally he turned to her. “Did sleeping help?”

“No, not really,” she said with a sigh. “I don't feel any better, to be honest. I'm still tired and now I'm sore. And I expect we're going to be hidden out of sight so I'm going to be on edge until I'm allowed to return home.”

“At least we're alive,” he pointed out. “Someone could have made a play for us here, and so far we've been left alone.”

“I just hope that stays the case once we get where we're going. It will be nice to have an actual bed to sleep in.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I believe you may not be quite as pleased to have a bed as you think. We'll be sharing one.”

Molly sighed. “Of course.”

“I don't sleep very much,” he said. “You'll have the bed to yourself most of the time.”

“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked. “I know it's Scotland, but...”

“A small village where there's a place for people the government needs to keep hidden,” he said. “It's only meant for one person at a time, but he couldn't find anyplace else to hide us on such short notice. We'll have a contact there that will get us everything we need, though we won't actually be contacting him.”

“So we're going to be stuck together in a small building in another country with only each other for company? This is not going to end well.”

“Hopefully the Doctor will arrive and I can go back to where I came from and you'll no longer be in danger,” he said, turning away from her again. “Then you can have your life back.”

She was quiet after that. She hadn't meant to be flippant about it. “That wasn't what I meant,” she said. “It's just...the last time I was stuck with someone it wasn't exactly easy, and then I had work to go to, and more freedom than he had. We're both more or less restricted to this place to keep us safe. So we'll be very close and I'm not altogether sure we won't hate each other by the time we can leave.”

“Ah,” he said. She waited for him to say more but he remained quiet, and after a few minutes she sighed and dug one of the books she had brought with her out of her bag and attempted to read. She was distracted, though, and after nearly a half hour she set the book down. He looked over at her. “I'm not affronted by what you said, you know.”

“Well, I just feel like it's an awkward silence,” she said. 

“It's not. I like silence. It allows me to think.” He turned more towards her. “You don't like it, though. I've noticed you hum to yourself when you cook, and you generally play music when you're in your room. You have the television on when you aren't really paying attention to it. Why?”

She leaned back in her seat more. “I always associate silence with one of two things. The first is disapproval. If someone gets silent after I say something I always think they think the worst of me. And then...when my father was dying, it was always quiet. It made a stark difference from how it was when I was young, with the house full of noise and energy and life. Silence makes me go back to those days.”

“So you associate silence with your father's death,” he said thoughtfully.

“There's times I crave it, but most of the time I dwell on things I don't need to think too heavily about. I usually just run my mind around in circles and hate where I end up at the end of it. Noise distracts me, but it also soothes me.” She tilted her head slightly. “Why do you like silence so much?”

“Most of what I hear is incessant chatter. I can tune it out, unless I absolutely have to pay attention to it, but silence is easier to take. I've lead a rather solitary life, with much time spent to myself. I find I prefer it to having company, unless it's someone I hold dear.”

“Like your crew?” she asked.

He nodded. “They were family to me, each and every one of them. I would listen intently to what they had to say, most of the time. Even with them there were times I wanted peace and I would retreat into my own head to get it, or I would leave and go somewhere quiet.”

“Do you miss them?”

“Yes. And I worry that if I am not there to protect them Marcus may cause them harm,” he said. “Or he may awaken someone else and press him into the same slavery he pressed me into.”

They had talked about other things, but this was something they avoided talking about. She was surprised he was talking about it now, to be honest. “How did he get you to help him?”

“He threatened to destroy the cryotubes my crew are housed in. We had all been in stasis for three hundred years, so unless they are brought out slowly and acclimated to things they could die within minutes.”

“Did they do that with you?”

He shook his head. “Not entirely. I was not really allowed proper time to acclimate, but I was also the hardiest of my crew. If it had been someone else I'm fairly sure they could have died, even with our enhanced strength and stamina. Not that Marcus cared. He knew exactly who we were when our ship was found, and he knew I was their leader. He knew what we had been capable of, what we were still capable of. And he wanted a glorious war.”

“But why? That's what I don't understand.”

“I suppose part of him thinks the threat that some more hostile alien races pose will destroy the life he and others know. That's what he tells himself and others, of course. I think in reality he wants glory and he wants to hurt people. I can relate. At one point I wanted the same thing.”

“And now?” she asked quietly.

“I suppose I want other things now. As much as I would love to return and free my crew and return to the life we knew, I doubt that will happen. I do not think it will be as easy to go back to a parallel universe as it was to come here. There are ways, I suppose, but I'm not sure what the cost would be and what the Doctor might be willing to pay to make it happen.”

“You seem to be quite accepting of that,” she said.

“Not by choice. There are times I rage about it in my head, that I would much rather threaten him into making it a reality. But from what Amelia and Rory have said, I would be going up against someone who could absolutely ruin me if he so chose. He's a good man, but I think he's quite dangerous as well, and forcing him to take me home would cross a line. If I were to cross him I think I would pay dearly for it.” He leaned forward slightly. “So I accept what I probably won't be able to change. It's better than raging against the heavens.”

“If he can take you home, what are you going to do?”

“Smuggle my crew out of Admiral Marcus's grasp. Find another ship and take them to safety. Then get my revenge.”

She widened her eyes. “Would you really kill him?”

“Perhaps,” he said with a nod. “That makes you think less of me, doesn't it?”

“A bit, yes.”

“Only a bit?” he asked with slight surprise.

“He seems to be cruel and vindictive. And he wants to drag the people of his world into a war, which I imagine will be just as bad as some of the wars we've had here, or worse. I don't know exactly what your technology can do, really, but I imagine it would be destructive. Stopping him before he gets to that point might be a good thing. I just...” She paused for a moment. “I just wish it wouldn't be you doing it if you go back, that's all.”

He looked at her closely. “You care about me,” he said quietly.

“I do. I don't know exactly how I care or how much I care, but I don't want you to go back and enact that plan. I mean, I'd want you to free your friends, but I just don't want you to end up becoming a monster to stop a dangerous man.”

“I was a monster before,” he pointed out.

“You've never been a monster towards me,” she said softly.

He got up off his seat and hesitated a moment before moving next to her. “I won't be one towards you, or anyone you choose to care about. As I said, you accept me as I am with no strings attached. You have no designs on me nor changes you want to inflict on me. I find that to be something unexpected in all of this. Something refreshing.” He looked at her. “There may be times I have to hurt people or do things I would prefer you didn't see, but I will never treat you badly if I can help it.”

“All right,” she said with a nod. “I'll hold you to that.”

He ran his gaze up and down the length of her. “I'll remain a man of my word.” She watched him turn his gaze back to her face, and after a minute of them looking at each other she hesitantly reached over and touched his face, running his fingers along his cheek. He stayed as still as a statue, waiting and watching. “What do you want, Molly?” he asked finally as she pulled her hand away.

“I don't know,” she said. “What do you want?”

“I want quite a few things, but for right now all I want from you is a promise.”

“What promise would that be?” she asked.

“Promise you won't hurt me,” he said quietly. “That you won't make me suffer, for any reason. Because I think if you did that I would become that monster and I wouldn't care who I hurt, you included. You don't have to be perfect all the time, but I suppose what I want for you to do is treat me as you do now, even if things get complicated or I tell you more about my past.”

“I'll try,” she said with a nod.

“I'll accept that for now.”

She moved over slightly, closer to him. “Khan?”

“Yes?” he asked quietly.

“I...” She hesitated again, and in her mind she was debating what to do. If she did what she wanted her life would be even more complicated, and it would probably only end badly. But if she didn't she would regret it, she knew that. Finally she decided to stop being so timid and she moved even closer.

He seemed to understand, reaching over and pulling her closer so her thighs were touching his. “You can kiss me, if you want,” he murmured.

“All right,” she said softly. She leaned in and this time the kiss wasn't nearly as forceful. It was soft and tentative, at least at first. She increased the pressure slightly and after a moment she opened her mouth to him a bit more. He responded by pulling her as close as he could and deepening the kiss, and after a moment they shifted positions so she was straddling him, never breaking the kiss. She'd kissed other men before, but those kisses had been tame, even sedate. This kiss...this definitely wasn't. She felt on fire right now, felt like she could take on the world and win.

After a few minutes more they pulled apart to breathe. He took a hand and very hesitantly ran it up her back. “I'm surprised you did that,” he said quietly.

“I am too,” she said with a slight nod.

“But I'm pleased as well.”

She looked down at him. “This could all end very badly, couldn't it?” she asked finally.

“It could,” he said with a slight nod. “Your opinion of me might change, or I could leave and go back to where I'm from if I'm able. And there are other things that could go wrong.”

“I don't think I care about that, though,” she said. “I might later, but right now I don't.”

“You're seizing the moment,” he replied.

“I suppose I am,” she said. “But you are, too.”

“I am,” he replied. “At this particular moment, however, I would like to do less talking.”

She gave him a slow spreading smile. “I could agree to that,” she said before leaning in and kissing him again. This might blow up in both of their faces but for right now this was what she wanted. She'd deal with all the ramifications later, anything that could possibly go wrong, but right now she didn't want to think so much. She just wanted to live in the moment for once, for as long as she could.


	6. Chapter 6

They arrived at the home they were going to share a few hours after their first kiss on the train. She was slightly nervous about all of this, because what had happened on the train had definitely signified a change in their relationship. They were more than housemates now, more than possible friends. They were _something_ at this point, but she wasn't sure if it was just going to be a one-off fling or something more. She just knew it wasn't going to be how it had been before, and for the moment she was okay with it, even though there was some trepidation.

She poked around a bit. It was a small place, much smaller than her own home. There was a sitting room and a kitchen with food in it, a washroom and the bedroom, and that was it. She was thankful to see that while the bed was small it wasn't tiny. If they did end up sleeping in the bed at the same time there would be ample room for both of them. At the moment she was putting her clothes away in the dresser while Khan was sitting on the bed. After a moment she looked over at him. “Aren't you going to put your things away?” she asked.

“Later,” he said, waving his hand slightly. “I'm thinking at the moment.”

“Ah,” she said with a nod, and then she went back to what she was doing. She didn't mind the silence this time, because she knew going on and on about something would annoy him, and she didn't want to do that. When she was done she moved over towards him and waited until he looked up. “Are there any special rules we need to follow while we're here that Mycroft didn't tell me?”

“Just that if you leave I should be with you. He made it very clear he would have me seriously injured if any harm came to you. We have a little freedom here, even though we need to take precautions. Even he knows we'll go stir crazy if we were forced to stay inside the entire time we're here, especially since we don't know how long we will be here.”

“I was thinking I might try and take a walk later. I mean, if you want. If you don't want to we don't have to,” she said.

“It might be best to get the lay of the land. But after we eat. I'm sure you must be hungry by now, as neither of us went to the lounge car while we were traveling.”

“I am a bit hungry,” she said with a nod. “I'll go make something.” She moved away a step but he reached over for her wrist and she stopped, looking at him. “Yes?”

“What happened on the train...” he said. “Do you regret it? Now that you realize how little space we'll have here?”

“I'm trying very hard not to have regrets anymore,” she said. “If I hadn't kissed you I would have regretted that more, I think.”

He was quiet. “I don't normally have any attachments like this. I have a vague idea of what's expected but I had thought it was stupid and pointless. I doubt you will be happy with me for long.”

She removed her wrist from his grip and moved in front of him more. “You asked me on the train what I wanted and I said I didn't know. What I want for you is to try and be...” She was quiet as she thought for a moment how to say what she was thinking. “I want you to try and treat me well. If there are times you slip expect me to get upset about it, but as long as it isn't something really horrible I should forgive you eventually. I'm not the type to hold grudges or punish people when I'm angry. Just know I can be pushed too far and try not to push me to that point. We can work everything else out as we go.”

“All right,” he said with a nod. “I suppose we should have some food now.”

“I don't know. I could kiss you for a bit,” she said with a grin.

“Yesterday you slapped me for kissing you,” he pointed out.

“That was yesterday. I've changed my mind since then,” she said, her grin getting wider.

“Apparently. And now I get to reap the benefits of that change of heart.”

“Yes. Yes, you do.” 

He reached over for her and pulled her down slightly. Apparently he liked her in this position, where she looked down at him while she was on his lap. They had kept that position on the train most of the time. She had to admit, she didn't really mind it. She leaned in and kissed him, and he moved a hand up her back to cup the back of her head, keeping the kiss deep. She had gotten a thrill each time they had done this, even the first time in the cab. She had felt faint blushes of this with other men, but nothing like what she felt now. She wasn't sure why she felt it with him, either. They actually made no sense, the two of them together, and yet she felt for sure they would fit perfectly for as long as they could, as long as he was there.

She pulled away after a few minutes. “You like having me be the one to initiate things, don't you?” she asked.

“I do, because I think you're normally not the type of person who does that. I find it very appealing when you take the lead in things because it gets you out of your comfort zone.” He ran his hand down her back. “We should eventually get food.”

“The key word being eventually,” she said before leaning in and kissing him again, a kiss which quickly became more passionate. After a few minutes he began to lean back, settling in with his back on the mattress, and she adjusted to the new position. She hoped he didn't want things to go any farther right now, because she knew she wasn't ready for that, but she didn't mind this new position either. She continued to kiss him for a time before she rather reluctantly pulled away. “And now I think I need to get something to eat.”

“I had thought it might take longer,” he said as she moved from on top of him.

“I don't have your stamina,” she replied. “I also don't have your ability to go for so long without food. I swear, you barely eat anything.”

“It does make it rather affordable to share food with me, though,” he replied, sitting up.

“That is true. I haven't had to buy that much extra food since you started sharing my flat with me.” She took a moment to adjust her clothing and then headed towards the door. “I'll see what I can make us.”

“I won't attempt anything, you know,” he said as she got to the door. “I may not know exactly what I'm doing in all of this but I'm intelligent enough to let you decide how slowly or how quickly things go.”

“You really are quite brilliant, then,” she said, giving him a grin before she made her way out to the kitchen. She could hear him follow her shortly after that. She began rummaging through cabinets and the refrigerator, pulling things out and setting them on the counter. “Okay,” she said finally. “I think I can make something suitable for us to eat. Now I just need to find cookware.”

“I think it's down there,” he said, pointing to a cabinet near the stove.

She knelt down and pulled out the things she needed. She set it all on the counter by the food. “Do you want to keep me company while I cook?” she asked.

“There isn't much else to do here,” he said, moving away from the stove and leaning against the counter. “And I've done this many nights the past few weeks anyway.”

“Well, this place is smaller,” she said. “It's going to be hard getting space, especially if you have to accompany me any time I leave.”

“I imagine there will be times we want space. I can leave on my own if that's the case.”

“Oh, so I get to be stuck here?” she asked, though she had a slight smile on her face.

“Well, I would have serious injuries to my person if you got hurt going out by yourself, so yes, you would be stuck here. But I'm sure you can occupy yourself. Mycroft said there is internet here.”

“For which I'm very grateful, even though I know I can't send any emails or let anyone know I'm here. I mean, I was honestly surprised he allowed us to bring our laptops and mobiles. You know, in case they were being tracked.” She began to prepare the food for them. “Are we allowed to go into the village, or do we have to stay here?”

He thought about it, tilting his head slightly. “I would prefer not to, though I could always wait outside if you keep your expedition brief. If there are people here who think I'm Sherlock that would defeat the purpose of keeping us hidden. And we do have someone nearby to help take care of our needs. All we have to do is send an email with a list to Mycroft and it should be here the next day. No one will see us face to face if he can help it.”

“Ah,” she said, nodding slightly. She began to get things ready for their meal. “It's going to be strange, being away from London. I'm not from London myself, but I haven't left much since I got there.”

“Is that why you've been eager to meet the Doctor?” he asked.

“I suppose. It would be very nice to travel.” She was quiet for a moment. “You've traveled through space before. What is it like?”

“Very quiet. And I suppose it's interesting. I haven't really thought much about it since I've been awoken.”

“Why?”

Khan thought for a moment. “It was different, before. There weren't warp capabilities so getting from one place to another took time. And there are many parts of the universe that are uncharted, and you could easily get lost. For an organization such as Starfleet this offers the chance for exploration, for learning and incorporating new cultures into the Federation. For me it was more a headache than anything else. And considering what the goals that I and my crew had were we approached more in the vein of conquerors than explorers. It didn't turn out well for us.”

“Have you traveled out in space since you were woken up?” she asked.

“I went near Jupiter recently. Marcus has a fully operational station there to build a secret warship. It would take a very long time to get there with the level of space travel you have here, and no one would be alive at the end of it. I was there in a half hour, maybe a bit more.”

“I would love to go into space,” she said with a slight smile. “I think that would be absolutely thrilling. I would love to be able to go to an alien planet and meet new people there.”

“Not all alien races want to be bothered, at least where I'm from, and I doubt it would be any different here,” he pointed out. “And some are most likely outright hostile, like the race that brought me here. I doubt they are the only ones to cause trouble for the Doctor.”

“I'm curious as to how one ended up where you came from,” she said.

“I am too,” he replied. “But Marcus had it locked away in a room that only certain people could access. I threatened someone for access shortly after I discovered I couldn't get into that room. I rather regret that now.”

“Oh,” she said quietly, looking at the meat she had begun to brown instead of at him. Of course he regretted things, she thought to herself. She probably would too, if she was him.

He was quiet for a moment. “I didn't mean I regret meeting you,” he said finally. “But this is not where I need to be. I need to be there, protecting my crew. My curiosity cost me more than I wanted to pay.”

“I understand,” she said. “I do, I promise.”

He got quiet again, and the pause was longer this time. “If I do need to stay here, if I really am unable to get back, there are worse places I could be,” he said slowly. “As much as I wish I was there I can actually make a life for myself here.”

“Do you want to is the question, though. I mean, aren't you going to always wish you weren't here in the back of your mind?”

“Possibly. I may always wish I was back there, and that might ruin my second chance here. I won't know until I have a chance to see if I can go back, though, so there's no use in speculating about it.”

“All right,” she said with a nod. “Maybe we should change the subject.”

“Yes, I think we should,” he said. “You've seen what we have here. Is there anything you can think that we might need?”

“I would like some books,” she said thoughtfully. “I only brought three with me. If I spend all day on a computer that could be disastrous.”

“You do seem the type to not obsessively stare at a computer screen,” he said. “I'll ask Mycroft to get those for you shortly.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Are you going to ask for anything?”

“The things I generally use in my training regimen,” he replied with a nod. “And things to occupy my mind.”

“So you're thinking we'll be here for a while?” she asked, and when he nodded she sighed. “Great.” She kept concentrating on the food and after a moment she felt him move behind her. “Khan...”

“Eventually you will get to go home, back to your life in London. I might be with you, I might not. But for now let's try and find something out of this where being here isn't a chore. Because if we look at it as a chore it's going to seem much longer even if we're only here a short time.”

“I suppose you're right,” she said with a nod. She turned to look at him. “We'll just have to see if we can stand to spend hours on end together.”

“I think, given the right circumstances, we can have quite an enjoyable time together,” he said. He reached for her and pulled her close, and she reacted by pulling away. He frowned at that. “Molly?”

“Browning meat. If you don't want lumps of charcoal I have to pay attention.” Then she stopped for a moment and leaned in to kiss him before she finished pulling away. She glanced at him and saw he had the barest hint of an amused smile. “It might be best if you don't distract me while I'm cooking on the stovetop.”

“All right,” he said with a nod. He moved back over towards the counter. “I think it's going to take me time to get used to whatever it is we've developed into.”

“Have you ever actually had a relationship before?” she asked, glancing at him. “I mean, you said they were stupid and pointless earlier.”

“I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I?” he murmured.

“Probably,” she said with a chuckle before looking back at the food.

“To answer your question no, I have not. Since I never saw the point of having a romantic relationship with anyone I stayed away from those. I have the same physical needs as any other human, obviously, but generally I was able to ignore them. When I couldn't ignore them I took care of them, but it wasn't often and it was never in any romantic sense.”

“Sherlock said the same thing, though I think he completely sublimated any physical needs he might have had.”

“You've had this discussion with him?” he asked.

She nodded. “After he jumped he had some injuries that needed tending for a time. Broken ankle, sprained wrist, things like that. Falling from that great a height does damage to anyone, even if you're falling without intending to get hurt. His brother requested he stay with me while he healed enough to continue on, so I played nursemaid when I wasn't at work. We talked more in that time about personal things than we had ever done before. I learned quite a bit about who he is and how he got to be the way he is and the things that interest and excite him. I also heard a lot of things that made me very sad, mostly about how lonely he felt.”

“His brother doesn't understand him,” he said. “I could tell that almost immediately.”

“Well, since you're pretending to be his twin brother I can fill you in on things you'd need to know that Mycroft probably overlooked,” she said thoughtfully. “I don't know how helpful it would be, but it's something.”

“I think that would be a good way to spend our time here,” he said with a nod. There was a pause for a few minutes after that, and then he spoke again. “Are you close to him?”

“Who, Sherlock or Mycroft?”

“Sherlock.”

“Not as close as I'd like to be. Not anywhere near as close as John is. Was. But close enough, I suppose. Why?”

“I'm just curious. He doesn't sound like a person who is easy to get close to.”

“No, he isn't, not really,” she said, pausing in her cooking. “He has high walls up around his heart. He wouldn't tell me why, either. I just gathered he's let a few of us close to varying degrees and that's all he needs. If he gets through this in one piece I might ask him some day.”

“Do you miss him?” he asked.

She nodded. “I do. But he didn't treat me very well, not until the end. Not until he needed me. But...it feels very different without him here.”

“And I'm sure me looking and sounding exactly like him doesn't help. I'm a poor substitute.”

“You are not a substitute,” she said, turning sharply to look at him. “Yes, you two are nearly identical, but I don't look at you and see a substitute or a replacement. First off, you treat me very differently than he does. Did. You've been cross with me, but you've never belittled me or made me feel worthless. He did that a lot, nearly from the first day he met me. Secondly, as far as I can tell you've never lied to me. He did that so often I started to take everything he said with a grain of salt. And then there's the fact that you actually talk to me. He didn't start doing that until the very end, before he had to leave.”

“Why on earth did you fancy him, then?” he asked, surprised.

“Maybe it's because I was a glutton for punishment. Or I like men who are totally wrong for me.” She saw the look that crossed his face and her eyes widened. “Not you. I mean, as far as I can tell, not you.”

“Who else has there been?” he asked.

“A few prats here and there,” she said. “And Moriarty, but that was only three dates and I ended it because towards the end he made me uneasy. No one believes that, though. They think once he got an introduction to Sherlock he left me high and dry. That wasn't what happened at all.”

“What did happen?” he asked curiously.

She turned back to check the meat. “He asked me out on a fourth date later that afternoon. But Sherlock had rather rudely mentioned he wasn't all he seemed, and the more I thought about it the more I realized he was right. So I politely turned him down and said maybe it was best if we didn't spend any more time together. He accepted that, and that was the last I saw of him.”

“He didn't end up at your morgue the afternoon that Sherlock jumped off the roof? Pay you a visit to make sure he was indeed dead? Because I would have done that.”

She shook her head. “I didn't even know he was up there until Mycroft said something to you. Sherlock didn't say a word. He just said there was a threat and he'd needed to jump. I went up there the next day and nothing looked amiss. Good riddance, though.”

“You don't seem the type to wish a person ill,” he said.

“For all we know, I was someone he threatened to have killed to get Sherlock to do what he wanted. The only person I know who knows for sure is Sherlock, and he didn't say anything about it to me. Mycroft might know as well, but I doubt he'd tell me the particulars of what happened on the roof that day. He wouldn't think there's a need.”

“I think you should have every right to know, especially since you assisted Sherlock in faking his death and his recovery afterward. You have a vested interest in knowing what's going on.”

She shrugged slightly. “I suppose I do, but Mycroft is going to stay tight-lipped and I haven't heard from Sherlock since the day he walked out my door.”

“They both strike me as men who care very little for the pawns in Moriarty's game,” he replied.

“I suppose you're right, though I think Sherlock might care more. He did jump because of a threat, after all,” she said. “But they're attempting to keep us safe, and I appreciate that.”

“I imagine you would,” he replied. She stayed quiet as she finished cooking the meat, and Khan didn't speak until she had taken the skillet off the heat and set it aside. When she looked up again she saw he'd moved over towards the window in the kitchen. “How much longer is it going to be?” he asked.

“The food?” she asked. He nodded. “I need to assemble the dish and then it needs to bake. But it shouldn't take long. Why?”

“I think we should take the walk around the grounds soon. I think it might rain.”

“We can always put it off until later,” she said. “I think we can think of something to do inside if it does start raining.”

“I'm sure we can as well,” he said, licking his lips slightly.

“And you are absolutely incorrigible,” she said, shaking her head with an amused grin on her face. “But just so you know, at the moment things are not going any farther than kissing. If that situation changes, I'll make sure you're the first to know.”

“So noted,” he said with a nod.

“If you want to do anything any time soon you should let me get back to this,” she said. “I'll be quick, I promise.”

“Very well,” he said with a nod. She turned away again and began to finish assembling the dish. It was going to get very interesting navigating whatever it was that was going on between them, she realized. She just hoped it wasn't something that made her regret starting something in the first place.


	7. Chapter 7

They had been in Scotland for three full weeks and hadn't driven each other crazy yet. She was honestly surprised by that. They each found ways to occupy their time, and he did oblige to let her walk along the grounds as often as she wanted. After the second day there had been a delivery of books and she had found quite a few that interested her, so she had taken to doing a lot of reading. She hoped she could take all the ones she liked home with her. It wasn't so bad being there, she realized, and while she missed her home and her things and her life she wasn't totally upset by the situation.

She took the chance to really study Khan while they were there. Even most of the time they had been residing with each other they had done different things, essentially had different lives until someone tried to kill them. And they talked quite a bit now. She had learned more about him, even the parts most people would try and hide, and while some of it unnerved her she appreciated his honesty. She didn't like him any less, at the very least. He was also learning about her, and she could see him making subtle changes in the way he spoke and acted towards her because of it.

It was starting to go into the fourth week of them being there when she suggested they go for a walk that evening after dinner. When they were out together they stayed close but not too close. They didn't hold hands or anything like that; she got the feeling he would be loath to actually show in public that they had a relationship, even if the case was different behind closed doors. She could accept that even if she wasn't altogether happy about it. After all, he had said he had thought attachments like theirs were stupid and pointless so the fact he showed any signs of affection at all made her happy enough.

They had made it to the point where they usually turned around when it suddenly began to pour. Neither of them had been prepared for rain and they were quite a ways away from the home. He could easily have outrun her as they quickly tried to make their way back but he kept up with her. Because of that the two of them were thoroughly soaked when they got inside again. She was shivering from being cold and wet. She made her way to the thermostat and turned the heat all the way up. “I'm freezing,” she said, her teeth chattering slightly.

“The sooner you get out of those clothes the better,” he said.

“What about you? Aren't you chilled?”

“A bit, but it's nothing I can't handle,” he said with a shrug. “Go into the washroom and strip down. I'll go in later.”

She nodded and made her way to the washroom, taking off every bit of sodden clothing. When she was completely naked she reached over for one of the towels and wrapped it around herself, taking a smaller one and wrapping her hair up in it. She made her way to the bedroom and saw it was darkened since the light wasn't on. She also saw Khan was there with his shirt off and his back to the door. She wanted to stand there and watch for a bit but she realized he deserved privacy as well. She cleared her throat and he turned around. “I thought I should get dressed,” she said.

He nodded, taking a good look at her. “I can take my clothing to the washroom,” he replied.

“No, it's all right. I was thinking of taking a hot shower so I can take my clothing with me.”

“That would be a good idea, I think,” he replied.

He was standing near the dresser when she came over to get a pair of pyjamas and her knickers. When she leaned over the towel came undone partially and she nearly dropped her clothes trying the keep the towel around her. “Damn,” she muttered. 

“I can always shut my eyes and you can change in here,” he said.

“How do I know you won't peek?” she asked.

“You would just have to trust me,” he replied.

She thought about it for a moment. “I do, you know,” she said quietly.

“You do what?” he asked.

“Trust you. With everything you've told me I probably shouldn't, but I do. I don't think you'd purposefully try to hurt me, or use me. I don't think you would treat me badly.” She looked up at him. “So you've earned my trust.”

He looked at her intently for quite some time, and then he took the clothing from her hands and dropped it on the floor. After a moment he pulled her close against him. “I think I am very lucky for that,” he said. “If it wasn't evident before, you have earned mine as well.”

“That's good,” she said with a nod. She hadn't expected to be this close to him with absolutely nothing on but a towel, and she knew she should feel embarrassed or self-conscious, but she didn't mind at all. After a moment she placed her hands on his bare chest. “How would you react if I said I wanted things to go farther tonight?”

“I would react favorably to that,” he said.

“Then I would like to take things farther,” she replied.

He moved his hand to undo the towel wrapped around her head, letting her still wet hair fall around her shoulders. Then he took a slight step back and undid the towel that was around her, letting it fall to the floor. She was completely naked now, and he pulled her close before kissing her. It wasn't a very demanding kiss, which was surprising because when he initiated a kiss it was always demanding and passionate and something that left her weak in the knees. She knew that eventually that would happen, but for now it was slow and searching. She slid her arms up and pressed herself against him as she circled her arms around his neck. He ran his hand down her spine, keeping her close.

After a moment she opened her mouth to him slightly, slipping her tongue out. He took that as the hint it was and increased the pressure of the kiss, and she began to feel a now familiar pool of heat lower in her body. She’d thought about doing this a few nights now, when they would kiss until she was tired. There had been a few occasions she wanted to suggest he join her in bed, but she'd held off until today. It seemed to be the right moment now, and she was going to seize the moment once again and go wherever it led.

She put some space between their bodies and reached between them, going for the button on his trousers. She undid it, then carefully lowered the zipper. She was not altogether surprised to realize he wasn't wearing pants underneath, and when she pushed down at the waistband slightly his erection was freed within seconds. She pulled away from the kiss to get them lower, and after a bit he was able to step out of them and kick them off to the side. As soon as he was done he pulled her against him again and kissed her, and this time it was the way it usually was with him, as though he wasn't going to be able to get enough of her.

She reached between them again and circled his erection with her hand, teasing him after a moment. He groaned into the kiss slightly and a minute later he began backing them towards the bed. He touched the bed first, and she stumbled slightly when they stopped suddenly, but she recovered after a moment. Finally he pulled away from the kiss. “You initiated this. You decide what we do,” he said as she slowed her hand.

“You'll actually let me?” she asked, her eyes slightly wide. She had thought he would take control, just like the other men she had been intimate with. Being told she could decide what they did was something she hadn't expected. She watched him nod. “I...I would like to be on top. I've never done that before.”

“Very well,” he said, He moved her hand away and reached between them. She was already wet, but when he began to tease her she found herself growing even more so. She moved her hands to his shoulders as he teased her clit, finding she was digging her nails into them as he continued to tease her. He slipped a finger inside her, then another, and used his palm and the heel of his hand to give her the friction she needed. She was clinging to him as he brought her closer and closer to the edge, and finally she felt herself tighten around his fingers as she came apart. Her knees started to go weak as she lost herself in the sensation, and then he pulled away from her, moving to the edge of the bed and sitting down on it. “Do you want me sitting or lying down?” he asked.

“I'm not sure,” she said.

“Lying down would perhaps be easier,” he replied. He moved farther up the bed and laid down on his back. She got on the bed, moving on top of him. She had a general idea of how it would work, but he seemed not to mind the hesitation. She decided she wanted to explore a bit first, though. She moved down a bit, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck. He tilted his head back, giving her more access. “If you are inclined, I do like pain,” he said quietly.

She let her lips hover over his pulse point before she bit down. Not so hard to leave teeth marks, but she could feel his grip on her tighten as he took a sharp intake of breath. She felt such a thrill knowing that she had done something he had liked, something he had wanted, and that it had been her that gave him that reaction. She moved away after a moment and moved lower, nipping at his skin from time to time, before slowly making her way back up. She moved to a better position to straddle him as he set his hands on her hips, and she positioned him before lowering herself onto his erection. He was larger than she had expected but not too large. She was looking down at him as she did that and she saw his eyes were shut as he tightened his hold on her hips. She raised herself up again and this time as she lowered herself he surged up and she took more of him in. She gasped as she felt as filled as she could be. 

She slowly began to get a rhythm, and each time she took him back in he surged up, and soon the pace began to quicken. She hadn't particularly enjoyed shagging before but this position and what he was doing was definitely making this the best shag she'd ever had. Soon she was riding him hard, giving as good as she got, until finally he reached between them and teased her again. “Oh!” she said as she could feel herself begin to tighten.

“Say my name,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Khan,” she said, shutting her eyes and moaning his name as she began to come again. He surged into her one last time and then joined her in his release. She was spent by the time he lowered his hips again, filled with a bone deep sense of satisfaction. She leaned forward, putting her hands on either side of his head, and trying to catch her breath. She looked down at him as her bare breasts brushed his chest and after a moment he removed his hands from her hips and moved one along her spine before cradling the back of her head to kiss her again. Even though she was tired she kissed him back eagerly. Finally she pulled away from the kiss and shifted slightly, disentangling them. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

He said nothing, letting her curl up on her side as he turned to face her. After a moment he hesitantly reached over to stroke her waist. “Get some rest,” he said finally.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” she asked, her eyes fluttering closed slightly. This really had taken more out of her than she realized, she thought to herself.

He nodded. “I will.”

“All right,” she said. She yawned once, even as she could feel him let his fingers play on her skin slightly. In the morning perhaps they could go for round two, if she didn't find herself regretting round one, at any rate. She just hoped that wouldn't be the case.


	8. Chapter 8

She woke up slowly, forgetting for a moment she was naked under the quilt Khan had apparently put on top of both of them and that she wasn't alone in the bed. She wasn't quite sure what had led her to let things take the direction they had. It was one thing to kiss him. It was certainly another to shag him. As much as she hated to admit it, she was getting very used to him being around, and it was going to hurt much more than she wanted to admit if he left. And if the Doctor could get him back to the universe he had come from she knew he would go, regardless of whether it hurt her or not. It wasn't that he was going to do it to be cruel, but other people there needed him and he wasn't going to abandon them.

She sat up after a moment and looked over at him. He had always gone to bed after she had already gone to sleep, and he had woken up before she did. This was the first time she had ever gotten to watch him sleep in the whole time they'd been residing under the same space. Looking at him made her realize just how much younger he could actually look. It was as though all the hard edges on his face that she had gotten used to just disappeared. She'd even go as far as to say he looked peaceful right now. The covers had slipped down a bit and she was reminded he was quite muscular. She'd seen it before but she took a moment to appreciate it. In her head she had been cataloging all the differences between Khan and Sherlock and that was just another one. Where Khan was muscular Sherlock really wasn't. They were both lean, but Sherlock had a body where a person would suspect he went long periods without eating. Khan had a training regimen and there had been times since they got here that she watched him, fascinated. It made her occasional forays into yoga and Pilates laughable

She could see his hair was messy and that was unusual. Normally it was styled, every hair in place, but right now it looked as though he'd run his fingers through it and just let it be. She was tempted to run her fingers through it now, actually. The night before she'd had the urge to learn every inch of him, just in case he left. He'd let her do what she pleased, and while she'd never actually had a shag like that before she'd found she quite enjoyed it. She hadn't expected it to happen at all, and she'd been surprised to be put in charge, but she thought things had gone very well. After a few minutes she got out of bed, moving a bit gingerly. It really had been a long while for her, and muscles ached a bit from being used after months of disuse. She began to get dressed, getting the pair of knickers she'd dropped on the floor the evening before. She slipped them on and then went to look for her bra.

“I could get used to that sight,” she hear Khan say sleepily. She turned, and despite the fact that he had seen so much of her body the night before she crossed her arms across her breasts, hiding them from his view. “Even partially covered it is still a very nice view.”

“I just can't believe we did that,” she said, looking down.

She could hear him get out of the bed and move towards her. Unlike her he was completely naked, and when he got close she felt a little shy. The room had been much darker last night than it was now, and she was worried when he saw her in full light he'd be uninterested in her. He stood in front of her and uncrossed her arms before pulling her close. Then he moved a hand to tilt her chin up until she was looking at him. “I am not your Sherlock. I know you were holding out for him, even when you kissed me before. But last night, you wanted me. Not him. _Me_. Tell me that hasn't changed.”

She looked at him intently. “Even if I say it hasn't changed, that I want you more, you're just going to leave if the Doctor can take you back. There's no point in making it hurt worse when you eventually go.”

He leaned in and kissed her, a very possessive kiss, and she found herself having to grip his shoulders to keep from going weak in the knees. But she kissed him back. She gave as good as she got in that kiss and she didn't care if it was proper. She didn't want a tame kiss; she wanted one that lit a spark in her, and he didn't let her down. Soon he pulled away from the kiss and knelt down to pick her up, carrying her back to the bed, with the messy sheets and the scents of them ingrained upon them. He set her down and she stretched for a moment as he pulled her knickers off and tossed them to the side, and then he was on top of her and kissing her again and once again she was gripping him quite hard to keep him close. For right now the worries and everything else could melt away, because he had been right. She had been waiting, but last night she had wanted him over anyone else, and that hadn't changed this morning.

He pulled away from this kiss after a few minutes. “If he can take me back, come with me,” he said quietly, looking at her intently. “I want you to.”

Her eyes widened slightly. She wasn't sure she could do that, leave her entire life behind and go to the future, because if it all went south she'd be there, stranded and alone, and it would all be so hard to adjust to. “I...I'm not sure.”

He hung his head slightly. “I should have expected that.”

“Let me think about it,” she said finally.

“All right,” he said with a slight nod.

She angled her hands to pull him in for another kiss, and he ran his hand along her thigh to bring her leg up and open her up more to him when he stopped and pulled away. She had heard the sound too, and she looked at him for a moment. It sounded exactly like Rory and Amy had described, the “vworp-vworp-vworp” that the Doctor's TARDIS made. “I think he found us,” she said, her heart sinking slightly.

“I think he did as well,” he said. “Let's get dressed and see for sure.”

He pulled away completely and they got off the bed and began to get dressed. She did so slowly, because she was certain just because she wanted him to stay he wouldn't, that he'd get to go home and she'd decide to stay here and they would be separated. The longer she could put it off the better, she thought. There was a knock on the door when they were almost done, and then they finished getting dressed and made their way to the sitting room. Khan went to the door and opened it, seeing Rory, Amy and a man in a tweed jacket and a bow tie standing in front of them. “Hello! I'm the Doctor,” he said cheerfully.

Khan moved out of the way and they came in. Amy looked at her and her eyes widened slightly. If the other two men were oblivious to what had just been going on Amy wasn't. She moved over and gave Molly a hug. “Are you all right?” she asked quietly before she let go.

“I probably won't be, after this,” Molly said just as quietly before ending the embrace.

“So!” the Doctor said, moving more into the room. “You're Khan Noonien Singh,” he said, looking at Khan.

He nodded. “Yes.”

“I've been to your universe before. Something big happened there in the last twenty or so years, I gathered. Something that changed how things were supposed to be. I tried to go back and it was all a mess. You had wibbly wobbly timey wimey universe changes, and that makes things especially hard.”

“So you can't take me back?” he asked.

The Doctor shook his head. “I can't. Everything is too volatile, too unstable. I can keep trying, though. It never hurts to try.”

Khan sighed. “I thought as much, that I wouldn't get to return.”

“Do you _want_ him to try, though?” Rory asked, glancing at Molly briefly before looking at Khan intently. He must have realized what had happened, too.

“Yes,” he said with a nod. Neither Amy nor Rory looked happy with that answer, but Molly understood, and she knew he would keep wanting to go back. Khan moved his gaze away from Rory and looked over at her for a moment. “But if he finds he absolutely cannot I can continue to make a life for myself here.” 

“That's good news!” the Doctor said. Then he clapped his hands together. “But it appears you two have a problem that needs to be taken care of.”

“There are people who think I'm Sherlock Holmes, and they mean to do him harm,” Khan replied. “Molly isn't safe for the moment.”

“You aren't safe either,” the Doctor pointed out.

“I can take care of myself,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, I'm working on taking care of that threat,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Picked up another passenger for a time, and I figured if I could help him settle the problem quickly there would be less danger for the two of you and you could go back to London sooner rather than later.”

Molly's eyes got wide when she saw someone else move over by the door as the Doctor finished speaking. “Sherlock!” she said with surprise.

Sherlock nodded, coming into the room. He looked thinner than before, older and more careworn, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and it was dragging him down. He ignored everyone else in the room and looked only at her. “Molly.”

After a moment she snapped out of her surprise and moved over to him, embracing him tightly. After a moment he embraced her back, resting his chin on top of her head. “You're alive,” she said.

“And kicking as well,” he said. They stayed like that for a moment before he pulled away. He looked over at Khan, and he didn't look as surprised as she thought he ought to. Amy or Rory must have told him about the resemblance. “You're the man pretending to be my brother,” he said slowly.

Khan nodded. “Yes, I am.”

“You're keeping Molly safe?” Sherlock asked.

“Yes.”

Sherlock looked back to her for a moment, and she could tell he was doing what he always did, studying her. She blushed slightly. She knew Sherlock would be able to figure out exactly what had happened between her and Khan. He was, after all, one of the best at picking people apart. She waited for him to start going into his deductions, but he remained quiet. “If any harm comes to her I'll kill you,” he said when he finally looked back at Khan.

“Your brother delivered a similar threat, so I expected that,” Khan said with a nod before looking back at Molly.

“What are your plans?” Molly asked, turning to look at the Doctor.

“Well, conventional travel takes up so much time, makes things go much longer than they need to. When Sherlock needs my help he'll call me and I'll come quickly and help, however I can. It won't be all the time, so it will still take some time for him to finish dismantling the mess that Moriarty left behind, but it will help speed things up.”

“I estimate it might take a year, maybe less,” Sherlock said. “But I spoke to my brother and we've neutralized the particular threat against you that resulted in someone trying to kill you. It should be safer in London now. And if there are any more threats against you I'll take care of them first. I'll make sure you don't regret helping myself or Khan.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“I can take the two of you home,” the Doctor said. “Well, Molly, take you home. And take you to Molly's home, Khan. Or should I call you John as well?”

“Since I'm going by John Harrison to anyone who doesn't know the truth it might be best if you refer to me as John. Just in case,” Khan replied.

The Doctor nodded. “All right then. Do you want the ride back to London?”

“Yes, please,” Molly said. “We still need to gather our things though. If you want tea I can make some while you wait.”

“If you show me where everything is I can make it,” Amy said.

“All right.” The two women moved towards the kitchen and Molly showed her where the tea service and tea were. Then Molly went back to the other room and she and Khan headed towards the bedroom to pack their things up. She made her way to the dresser, expecting him to be right behind her, when she realized he hadn't moved from the doorway. “Khan?” she asked when she turned to look at him.

“You still care for him,” he said quietly.

“Who, Sherlock?” she asked.

He nodded. “I could see it on your face, how happy you were to see him. You prefer him.”

Her jaw dropped slightly. “Are you _jealous_?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes,” he said, and it looked like it pained him to admit that.

“Khan, I'm happy he's alive. I wasn't sure, considering he hasn't spoken to me since he left my home, so seeing him made me happy. It means he's going to come home eventually.”

“And that's what you want,” he said. “You want him, not me.”

She moved away from the bed and up to him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him closer. “I still want you, Khan. Just because he's alive and well doesn't mean I'm going to dump you and take up with him.”

He looked down at her for a moment, almost with a look of surprise, and then settled his hands on her waist before sliding then around to her back and pulling her flush against him. “So you no longer fancy him?” he asked quietly.

She didn't say anything, instead moving her hands to put her arms around his neck and kissing him. He kissed her back like he was putting his mark on her, like he was declaring she was his and no one else’s, and she kissed him back the same way. If there wasn't a room full of people waiting on the two of them she'd take him back to bed and finish what they'd started that morning. When she finally pulled away to catch her breath she looked at him. “Does that answer your question?” she asked.

“It does,” he murmured. “If we had the time I would take you back to bed.”

“The sooner we get home the sooner we can do that,” she said, giving him a smile. She was pleased to see he gave her a slight grin in return. He never really smiled, even a little bit. It looked quite nice on his face. “We should get packed up now.”

“All right,” he said, letting her go. She noted it was with some reluctance that he did that. She moved away from him to get her luggage. She still had him for some time yet, quite possibly a long time, and that was the most she could ask for in this whole situation. It was more than she had expected to get, at any rate, but she would take it.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor dropped Khan and Molly off at her home a short time later, with promises of taking them both on an adventure if they so chose, and it was with relief that Molly walked inside and saw nothing was different. She wheeled her luggage inside her sitting room and then went out for the box of books she'd decided to bring with her. Khan set his bags down on the chair and then looked at her. “So it appears I'm going to be here for quite some time,” he said.

“You can stay here, if you want,” she said, taking her flats off. Khan took his coat off and draped it over the sofa, and after a moment she did the same. “I mean, since you are going to be here for a while you could always get a place of your own, but I wouldn't mind if you stayed here.”

“There are some advantages to having a place of my own,” he said thoughtfully. “But for the time being I'll stay here, because there are also advantages to keeping you close. At the very least I can keep you safer if we share the same residence.”

“But there are other reasons?” she asked.

“Yes, there are,” he said with a nod. “Do you have to return to work soon?”

She shook her head. “I'm on leave until the end of the month, so I have another two weeks or so. Why?”

“I would like to learn more about this London and begin to find my own way around it. I thought having your company would be interesting while I did that. And I suppose you'll want me to take you out in public anyway.”

“It's all right if we don't go out for a while,” she said. “I mean, on dates. I'll go with you while you explore London, though.”

“So we are in a relationship of some sort?” he asked.

“I thought we were,” she said, panicking just a little. “Did you not think we were?”

“I wasn't entirely sure. Now that we know I can't go back and that I'll be here for some time I wasn't sure if you wanted us to change how things were. If you wanted more or not.”

“Do you want to be in a relationship with me?” she asked hesitantly.

“I do,” he said with a nod, and she felt her gut unclench at his answer. “I may not be very good at it, though.”

“I am a very patient woman,” she said with a smile. “And I kind of like that there's something you don't think you'll be good at. It shows you aren't perfect.”

“I suppose you would find that an appealing thought,” he said, moving over towards her.

“Well, do we want to go out now?” she asked, watching him.

“I felt we had some unfinished business from this morning,” he said as he got closer to her. “Something about a room full of people being the reason we weren't able to go back to bed together.”

“That is a very good point,” she said as her smile widened. She looked up at him when he stood in front of her, reaching up to play with the collar of his shirt. “Maybe we should take care of that.”

“That was the general idea,” he murmured. “The question becomes whether we can actually make it back to bed.”

“My sofa is not that comfortable,” she said with an amused grin.

“Then I'd suggest you start moving towards the stairs before I try and convince you otherwise.”

“You can be incredibly bossy sometimes, you know that?” she said, though she did pull away from him and began heading towards the stairs. She glanced back and saw he'd started to take off his shoes and socks.

“I've been told that on occasion. I've also been called stubborn, obstinate and arrogant. And those were the nicer things said to my face,” he said as he finished and then began to follow her.

“I can just imagine what was said behind your back,” she said as she turned again and made her way up the stairs.

“I am not the easiest person in the world to get along with,” he said.

“We get along fairly well, though,” she pointed out.

“We get along more than fairly well, Molly. If we only got along fairly well I wouldn't be contemplating having any type of relationship with you aside from being civil acquaintances.”

She stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to look at him. He was two steps below her and she was slightly taller than him at this point. “I'm the exception to how you deal with just about everyone, aren't I?” she asked thoughtfully.

He nodded, stepping up so they were both at eye level. “You treat me differently than everyone else. If you had treated me the same way others had I would have left and tried to find the Doctor on my own weeks ago.”

“Ah,” she said. “I'm glad you stayed, then.”

“I am as well.” He reached over and turned her slightly. “It might be best if you keep moving.”

“Yes, I can imagine shagging on the stairs would be quite uncomfortable,” she said with a slight laugh as she continued up the stairs. 

“It would depend on what acts were being done,” he said. “Perhaps we can see if you can get any enjoyment from acts in those positions.”

“You are definitely more experienced than I am,” she noted. “Even with the whole sublimating your urges thing.”

“I will teach you well what I like, and at the same time I will expand on what you might enjoy with me. If you think this arrangement is mutually beneficial I have hopes it will remain so for a long time.”

She made it to the top and a few steps forward when he joined her on the second floor. She turned again and waited for him to join her. “I think even if we're kissing we can make it to my bedroom now that we're on a level surface again.” She stepped close to him and put her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. “Want to test my theory?”

“Very much,” he said with a slight nod before he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. This time she was demanding in the kiss, and as they took a step towards her room at the end of the hallway she began to pull his shirt out from the waistband of his trousers. He seemed to be amused by her impatience but he also took a step back so she could begin unbuttoning it. They broke the kiss for a moment as she got it off his shoulders and he pulled it off, tossing it onto the stair railing. Before she could get close to him again he took the opportunity to pull her own shirt up and after a moment he got it off of her and he negligently tossed it to the side. She quickly reached around for the clasp of her bra and got it undone in seconds, pulling the straps down her arms and dropping it on the ground and kicking it down the hallway towards where they had just been.

He pulled her close against him, kissing her again as he reached behind her to undo the zipper of the skirt she had been wearing. She continued to move them towards her room, pausing long enough when the skirt was pushed off her hips to let it drop to the floor. In retaliation she began to undo the button and zipper on his trousers and she pushed the waistband down. He pulled away to get them all the way down and step out of them, kicking them to the side. He pulled her flush against him again, his erection pressing against her. She ground against it slightly, and he clenched his teeth. “If you aren't careful we won't make it to your bedroom,” he said.

“I just...” she began. She didn't know how to explain that she was so turned on, so ready, that every single thing that was going on was just making the build-up more intense. She wanted release before she drove herself mad. “It's like an itch that I need to scratch and I need to do it _now_.”

“Right now we have the floor or the wall or, if we can make it, the bedroom,” he said. “If I carry you we can make it to the bedroom.”

“It's probably more comfortable on a bed,” she said.

“Yes, it is.” He knelt down slightly and picked her up. “My room is closest.”

“My room has a better mattress,” she countered. “And I'd rather be there than around my parent's things.”

“Fair point,” he said, beginning to make his way towards her bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and he kicked it open. Somehow the Doctor had brought them back in the evening as opposed to the morning when they had left the small home in Scotland so the room was filled with moonlight, some of it splashed across the bed. He took her to the bed and laid her down upon it. She moved farther up the bed and after a moment crooked her finger at him. He joined her on the bed a moment later, covering her with his body. “I doubt you are in the mood to be teased right now,” he said quietly as he looked down at her.

“Not really,” she said. “But then again, it depends on the teasing.”

“You got to explore last night. I was thinking it was perhaps time I got to do the same. I can make it quite enjoyable.”

She remembered how he had teased her before they actually shagged and she could feel herself clench slightly in anticipation. She nodded slowly. “All right.”

He moved slightly, bending his head and moving to her pulse point first. He bit down lightly and she gasped at the action. He pulled away and looked at her. “Molly?”

“I've never had anyone do that before,” she said.

“Do you want me not to?” he asked.

“No. I want you to do it again,” she replied, looking at him, intently. She watched as a small grin spread on his face before he ducked his head down again and pulled some of the skin at her pulse point between his teeth. This time she moaned softly, shutting her eyes. He was probably going to leave a mark on her but she didn't care. She had never been the adventurous sort with the men she'd shagged before, not that there had been many of them, and had mostly let them do what they pleased and get what they wanted out of it. She got the feeling that, at least with her, Khan wouldn't be that way if last night and now were any indication.

After another minute he made his way lower, mimicking her actions the night before and nipping at her bare skin. He made his way to one of her breasts and lightly bit down on her nipple, causing her to arch up and moan even louder this time. She hadn't imagined pain could actually feel good but it really did. “Oh,” she said softly when he pulled away from her, her voice tinged in disappointment that he had stopped.

He paused in moving to her other breast. “You really haven't done much, have you?” he murmured, lifting his head up to look at her.

She shook her head. “Not really. I haven't really been with many men, and most of the time it wasn't all that good. They got what they wanted and I didn't always get the same consideration.”

“I have been selfish on occasion when it comes to meeting my own needs, but I will make it a point not to be that way with you.”

“All right,” she said, nodding slightly. He lowered his head again and made his way to her other breast, repeating his actions there. She reached for his hair and tangled her fingers in it, trying very hard not to pull too much. After a moment he pulled away from her and made his way lower, going back to lightly biting the skin beneath his lips. Soon he was too far down for her to have her fingers in his hair and she let go.

He pulled away after a moment and looked up at her. “I'm going to do something. Just try and stay relaxed and don't move too much.” She nodded, having a fairly good idea of what he was going to do and finding herself anticipating it greatly. She tried not to clench too much as he repositioned himself, and after a moment she felt his nose press against her clit and his tongue dart out against her. She gasped and lifted her hips up slightly as he began to tease her. After a moment he moved his hands to grip her hips slightly, keeping her on the bed, and as he continued to tease her she found herself squirming slightly. He pulled away after a moment. “Grip the headboard,” he said.

“All right,” she said. She stretched her arms up and gripped the top of her headboard as he went back to what he had been doing. Having something firm to hold onto helped her stop squirming as much and she relaxed, even as she felt herself tense in anticipation. After a moment he moved a hand away and added a finger to the mix as he had the night before. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, to be honest, but by no means did she want him to stop. When he added another finger she bit back a moan. Soon he was bringing her close to release, and when he teased her clit she began to orgasm, with wave after wave of pleasure radiating through her.

He pulled away from her and repositioned himself again, entering her slowly while she was still feeling the aftereffects of the orgasm. She pulled her hands away from the headboard and gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into them. He pulled out slightly and then thrust into her again, going more deeply this time. The moan that escaped her lips was louder and she arched up slightly in response. He began to build up to a rhythm, and she gladly took everything he was giving her. After a moment she moved her hands and ran her nails down his back, and the sharp intake of breath and harder thrust told her he had liked that. She moved her hands back up, increasing the pressure slightly as she felt herself beginning to get close to another orgasm. Finally she convulsed around him, and with one last thrust he came as well, and then he sagged slightly, seemingly spent.

She was panting slightly, trying to catch her breath. She had to admit, this had been just as good as the last time, if not better. She ran a hand along his shoulders, feeling the nail marks she had left in his shoulders. “I didn't hurt you, did I?” she asked.

“No,” he replied. “I enjoyed it. I hadn't expected you to run your nails down my back, so that was a pleasant surprise.”

“I remembered you said you liked pain,” she said.

He looked down at her intently. “Am I a considerate enough lover for you?” he asked.

“More than considerate enough,” she said, moving her hand to settle it on the back of his neck. “Honestly, both yesterday and today was quite satisfying.”

“Good,” he said before kissing her. She moved her hand to tangle her fingers in his hair as she kissed him back, and they only broke apart when it became apparent that they needed to breathe. After a moment he pulled out of her and then rolled onto his back. “There is something I should probably tell you,” he said after a moment.

“Oh?” she asked, concerned for a moment that it was bad news.

“One of the advantages to having increased stamina is that I have less recovery time,” he said, turning to face her. She clapped a hand over her mouth as she chuckled slightly, and she watched him frown. “I didn't think that was amusing.”

“I'm sorry,” she said beneath her hand. “I just thought it could have been bad news and I'm relieved it wasn't.”

He shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “I think it will take me a very long time to fully understand you.”

She lowered her hand. “I don't know. I don't think I'm that hard to understand,” she said with a smile.

“So I suppose you want to sleep now?” he asked.

She shook her head. “As far as my body is concerned this was a noontime shag. I'm not remotely tired yet.”

“Then I suggest we go clean ourselves up,” he said. “And then see what food there is left that hasn't spoiled yet.”

“That sounds like a very good idea,” she said with a nod. She sat up after a moment and then paused before leaning over to kiss him. After a moment he reached over for her and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She let her hand drift over to his waist, running her fingers on his abdomen until she finally pulled away from the kiss. “I think this could be a very interesting shower,” she said as she grinned at him.

“I believe it could as well,” he said, licking his lips slightly. “If we decided to leave the bed, at any rate.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “You can't _possibly_...”

“I can,” he replied, looking at her as if he was sizing her up. “But seeing as I don't think you're up to it it might be best if we take separate showers.”

“All right,” she replied. She pulled away from him and got off the bed. “I'll go first, I suppose.” He nodded and she went to her dresser and got a pair of knickers and a different pair of pyjamas than she'd brought with her before heading to the shower. Yes, it was going to be _very_ interesting now, she thought to herself. And if she wanted to be completely honest, she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
